The Road to Commitment
by Rachelshamyfan
Summary: Story starts while Leonard is away, with Sheldon & Amy becoming closer and overcoming challenges with Penny and Leonard also featuring once he returns
1. Chapter 1

_**THE USUAL DISCLAIMER I OWN NOTHING**_

_**Just wanted to say a big thank you to inwhatuniverse for her advice and help on the story**_

_**The Road to Commitment**_

_Set whilst Leonard is away at sea, primarily Shamy with some Penny_

_**Penny's apartment and POV**_

It was two weeks after Leonard had left and she was missing him very much and though they were skyping every other day, it just wasn't the same but she had kept to her promise that she would look out for Sheldon and had been taking him to work and shopping whenever she could and to her own surprise and confusion found that she was enjoying talking to him when she drove him to work, even if she didn't understand when he spoke about his work, he had however done something very nice by taking her car to the garage and paying for it to be fixed and for her to have a hire care while she waited, Sheldon had said he was doing both of them a favour because he "didn't want to travel in a death trap". To thank him she had invited him over for dinner.

_**Sheldon POV**_

Sheldon was often thought by most people to be arrogant and ego centric with no care or notice of other peoples feelings but recently things had started to change and that was down to Amy and how happy he was in her company, they had spent a lot of time together recently due mainly to Leonard being away and he wanted to show her just what he meant during D&D and hoe he thought that they were "extremely intimate", he did however notice that Penny was being very cheery and happy towards hum when she was driving him to work which confused him because usually all he got from her was sarcasm and rude comments, this evening he was due to go over to hers for dinner and he had an uneasy feeling about so decided to take Amy with him.

_**Later that same day**_

Knock knock knock Penny

Knock knock knock Penny

Knock knock knock Penny

'Hi Sheldon, come on in, oh hi Ames' said Penny with some surprise

'Hey bestie, thanks for inviting us over'

'No problem' said Penny deciding not to correct her, after all this was Sheldon's doing!

The three of them had an enjoyable dinner together as Penny had made Sheldon's favourite, spaghetti with little pieces of hotdog cut up, but Penny was hiding how she was really feeling as she had wanted it to be just her and Sheldon and for once he was not unaware that something was going on with her

Around 10pm Sheldon and Amy left and went back to Sheldon's apartment where they spent a little time together, hanging out chatting and watching a documentary about monkeys in the wild, Sheldon chose to show Amy just how far he had come by scooting closer to her and putting his arm around her shoulders and caressed her shoulders and back, Amy leant forward slightly enjoying the touch of Sheldon and he was so close to her that he could smell her hair and the lovely vanilla fragrance of her perfume, he found himself hugging Amy tighter to him

'Amy you know I want to do more but I have to take this a pace I am comfortable with'

'That's ok Sheldon I understand, you know I won't push you and I am very happy to be with you and even more so after our d&d role play!'

They both smiled at each other with the memory of "that" particular evening, Sheldon could see it was getting late and suggested Amy stay over in Leonard's room and she agreed, so she went to get changed into an oversize t-shirt that Sheldon had given to her whilst Sheldon made up the bed in Leonard's room, he then kissed Amy on the cheek and they both went to bed

Sheldon woke early the next morning before Amy and choosing to abandon his usual breakfast routine and made bacon and eggs for him and Amy and they had a lovely breakfast together before leaving the apartment and Amy taking Sheldon to work

Several days had passed and Penny found herself still being angry at Sheldon for bringing Amy the other night and angry because everybody else was too busy to spend time with her, this anger made her spend two nights running drinking on her own causing her to have confusing feelings about why she was angry and whether any of it actually mattered.

The next day she was due to drive Sheldon to work but he noticed straight away she smelt of alcohol and refused to go with her, instead taking the bus to work, leaving Penny feeling embarrassed she had put herself in that situation.

_**Later the same day**_

Penny heard Sheldon come home and walked straight over and let herself in and raided his fridge for juice and went to help herself to the Thai food Sheldon was setting out on the coffee table until Sheldon stopped her

'No Penny that's not for you, Amy and I are having a date tonight and she's had a busy day at work and we are just going to relax here and she will be here shortly so if you could find your own way out that would be good'

'Oh come on Sheldon, you always share and you owe me after your stunt bringing Amy the other night when she wasn't invited'

'What are you talking about, I thought you liked Amy and that you were besties'

'We are but oh do you know what, never mind', said Penny feeling frustrated

'Look why don't you come over tomorrow night, we are having Chinese and its vintage video game night and everybody will be here' said Sheldon struggling to understand what was going on

'Oh fine, whatever' said Penny as she stormed out muttering to herself that nobody understood her

Sheldon had texted Amy that morning to bring a change of clothes with her so she could stay the night again and she had agreed, they were having a pleasant evening, watching telly and playing counterfactuals and cuddling on the sofa when suddenly there was banging on the door and Penny was demanding to be let in and stay in Leonard's room because she missed him.

Sheldon could see she was drunk, so with Amy's help took her back to her apartment and left her in bed there before returning but then Amy suggested taking Penny some of Leonard's clothes to see if that would help her so Sheldon did that and using Penny's spare key let himself in but what he wasn't expecting was Penny's reaction.

'You know Sheldon you can be very sweet sometimes, maybe im looking at the wrong guy after all' and with that she pulled Sheldon down onto the bed and took his face in her hands, Sheldon struggled to get away, eventually doing so and left a bucket next to Penny's bed in case she was sick and a glass of water on her bedside table and left the apartment feeling very uneasy.

The next day Penny woke up with vague memories of the night before and tried to get hold of Sheldon but he was ignoring her calls, Amy however did text to ask how she was doing and that she was looking forward to seeing her that night and catching up

Knowing she was due at vintage video night and wanting to catch up with her friends, Penny got herself ready and went over to Sheldon's when she heard Sheldon and Amy arrive together

Amy greeted her when she arrived

'Hey bestie, how you doing after last night, are you feeling better about missing Leonard'?

'Not really' said Penny choosing not to say anything else regarding that

Sheldon had remained silent during this exchange and busied himself sorting the food whilst the others arrived

Penny livened up during the games but Sheldon barely spoke to her, keeping a wary distance, this of course did not go unnoticed by various members of the group but nothing was said

Penny left before everybody else and then returned once they had all gone home

'Hi Sheldon, I take it Amy is not here'

'No she has gone and I am waiting for skype call so in know she's arrived home safely' again Sheldon noticed that Penny was a little tipsy and was wondering what Penny wanted

'That's fine Sheldon but I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night'

Sheldon interrupted her when his skype rang and told Penny to go home and he would speak with her later.

'No' shouted Penny, 'you need to hear what I have to say'

'Fine just give me a few minutes whilst I talk to Amy'

Penny went home and waited trying to think about what to say to Sheldon but by the time Sheldon had finished she had fallen asleep on the sofa and couldn't hear Sheldon knocking so he went back to his apartment to plan going to the Zoo tomorrow with Amy

The next day Penny decided she had to speak with Sheldon about what happened and was not taking no for an answer

'Hi Sheldon, you really need to hear what I have to say'

'Fine come in and sit down and go ahead'

'I think the reason I came onto you was because I am missing Leonard and I know being drunk caused a lot of that and I would like to apologise for my behaviour'

'Apology accepted but this will never happen again' said Sheldon

'You know Sheldon one thing I don't understand was your reaction the other night, like you were scared of something happening between us'

'I was scared!'

'Of me, why?'

'Because I didn't know what to do when you did that and I know it's because you were drunk'

'Would you react different if I wasn't drunk and I really did want you instead of Leonard? We could work, you are a very handsome and intriguing man'

'No absolutely not'

'Why?' Pressed Penny

'

'Because I'm not attracted to you'

'How is that even possible' said Penny arrogantly, which Sheldon noticed. 'Tell me why it wouldn't work', she knew she was putting herself out there for trouble and rejection but something couldn't stop her

Sheldon tried to let her down gently but firmly

'Look let me tell you this once and once only and you need to understand very clearly, you and I will only ever be friends, I am very happy with Amy and Leonard is my best friend, I would never betray either of them and I want you to know here and now that I have never been attracted to you or will I in the future, no matter what is going on in that brain of yours, Amy and I have a deep level of commitment, respect and undemanding towards each other and we are intellectual equals and we like a lot of the same things, face it Penny you and I have nothing in common but Leonard!'

Penny stared at Sheldon in shock, not just at the length of the speech but how passionate he was talking about Amy, even so she still dared herself to ask one more question

'If Leonard and Amy were not around, would you date me then?'

'No because as I said before, I am not attracted to you, I am attracted to Amy however and I only think of you as a motherly/friend figure who gives reasonably good advice and is sometimes good at video games, I know you are missing Leonard but this has to stop right now and I will be telling Amy about this conversation and about what happened in your room the other night, we have no secrets from each other'

'What! No Sheldon you cant do that, she will be devastated and hate me'

'Penny I think you will be surprised with Amy, she will understand more than you will ever know' and with that he escorted Penny out and got ready to meet Amy

They had a great day at the Zoo and it was while they were eating ice cream that Sheldon told Amy what Penny had said and done and to his own pride, Amy reacted positively

'I think what Penny needs is us girls to spend a bit more time with her and to stop her feeling so sad and lonely about Leonard'

'Good idea'said Sheldon

Amy then texted Bernadette and Alex to meet at Penny's for 8pm but made sure she was there early so that she could speak with Penny alone

'Hey bestie, how you doing'?

'Hi Ames, im guessing Sheldon told you what I did and said to him and I don't understand how you are not mad or wanting to drop me as a friend, after all I almost betrayed you!'

'Listen Penny you are obviously missing Leonard your feelings are confused because Sheldon has been looking out for you like you have with him and he's doing nice things for you while Leonard is away and perhaps there was stuff lost in translation, but I feel no hatred towards you but as Sheldon said this must never happen again because Sheldon and I are solid and nobody can break that'

'Yes he made that very clear this morning' said Penny testily

'Why so angry though Penny, I don't want to be harsh but is it because you want what you can't have? Something solid and worth waiting for'?

'Oh I don't know and I wont know until Leonard comes home and that's not for ages, anyway how can you be happy with Sheldon and he wont even give you what you want'? Said Penny bitterly

'Oh bestie, there is a lot you don't know and will never know about our relationship, Sheldon and I are moving forward and we talk about what we want, especially more so after yours and Bernadette's little d&d intervention'

'What do you mean?'

'Lets just say that I learnt a lot about Sheldon and that's the way it will stay, for too long people have been judging and mocking our relationship and we have both decided that has to stop and not let anybody get in the way of that every again, not even you bestie!'

For the second time that day Penny was in shock from the Shamy, she was surprised by this assertiveness that they both had and realised that Amy especially had grown and matured so much since she first met and how forgiving she was

'Amy you are right, I will never interfere again unless you ask me and I apologise profusely'

'That's ok bestie, now lets get to work on getting you into a happy place and not so 'much drinking on your own and being sad over Leonard'

'Amen to that' agreed Penny!

_**Hope you enjoyed that**_

_**Please feel free to review and follow**_

_**Chapter two will be up in a few days**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

Penny enjoyed having the girls over and they helped her to take her mind off Leonard, they watched girly movies and thanks to Amy had some non alcoholic wine with lots of popcorn and it was agreed that despite their busy lives they would spend Wednesday evenings together and maybe another night if anybody was available

Penny was just glad that Amy had forgiven her and that she had not messed things up with her, Sheldon however was turning out to be a different story

It was a few days after everything had happened and Sheldon was avoiding her and not even taking advantage of her offer of lifts to work, she managed to run into him one evening when he was leaving his apartment, she noticed that he was dressed up and not wearing his usual t-shirts

'Sheldon you look nice today, where are you going'

'I'm going out with Amy, what do you want'

'Why are you avoiding me, Amy is ok why can't you be'

'Like I told you on Saturday Amy is a very forgiving person but I have an eidetic memory and right now I don't want to be near you whilst the memories are so fresh'

'Sheldon you know the reasons why though and I said sorry and you accepted that'

'Yes but then you pushed me too far with your comments afterwards'

Penny was getting frustrated 'Look I said sorry, just accept it'

'So because you say so, you want me to say oh that's ok then and just forget about it, well that's not going to happen and may I point out its funny how for so long you have been playing with Leonard's heart and dragging your heels over whether or not you love him and all of a sudden now that he has gone, you miss him, in a weird way it's a good job it was me you came onto and not some random stranger, you may have had a lot more to regret'

'What the hell are you talking about, I've never messed Leonard about'

'You seem to forget that not so long ago you wanted to finish with him and turned down his marriage proposals but enough of that, im just saying right now I would prefer that you stay away from me and you are banned from my apartment when I am there alone, right now I just don't trust you Penny, you think you can get your own way with me and with no thought for others and you are very wrong, when the others are here you may come over but you will no longer be mooching food and wifi from me and I no longer require your driving services, perhaps during your time with the girls you can talk about what you actually want with Leonard'

'I'm sorry you feel this way, I'm just glad Amy forgave me'

'Yes well Amy is a wonderful person and I'm very lucky to have her, now if you could give me back my apartment spare key then this conversation is over'

Penny gave him the key and went back into her apartment while Sheldon went off on his date with Amy

Amy was waiting for Sheldon in her car outside his apartment block, she knew why he was avoiding Penny, they had no secrets after all and she supported his choice and he had no problem with Amy seeing Penny

When Sheldon got into the car she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek to which Sheldon blushed and said that he was happy to see her and told Amy about the conversation he had just had with Penny

They chatted about their respective days on the way to the Chinese restaurant which had only opened the previous week and Amy was surprised to find that Sheldon had reserved an enclosed booth for the two of them

There was oriental music playing in the background and the lighting was set to what most people would call "dim" or "romantic"

'Sheldon this place is beautiful, thank you for bringing me'

'Well I checked this place out when it opened and I knew it would be ok and I want only the best for you Amy' and he sat down next to her and took her hand whilst they book looked at the menu

The waiter came over and took their drink order, Diet Coke for Sheldon and Lemonade for Amy and they both decided to have the same thing which was Roast Duck and Noodles with a side dish of spare ribs and vegetable spring rolls

Sheldon found himself staring into Amy's eyes in what can only be described as "eye coitus" they were both smiling at each other and Sheldon was feeling very content so decided to bring up something he wanted to discuss with Amy

'Amy I have been thinking, how would you feel about us going on a weekend away sometime?'

'Where were you thinking' said Amy

'Well if you say yes then I can get planning!'

'Ok but it has to be something we will both like'

'Of course, also I was thinking that perhaps you would like to stay at my apartment this weekend'

'You mean like Friday to Sunday or would you like me to stay until Monday and I can take you to work'

'Yes I agree with that suggestion of staying until Monday, the only thing is that I will be going paintball with Howard and Raj on Sunday morning' and with that he kissed her on the cheek

By this time they had finished their meal, so Sheldon paid the bill and they stepped out of the restaurant and held hands on the way to the car park, Sheldon was enjoying this new found freeness and he wasn't scared or worrying about germs like he usually did and he was happy to be just a little bit intimate with his Amy

Amy drove them back to Sheldon's apartment and went in with him and Sheldon made Amy a cup of green tea and they chatted until it was time for her to go

'Would you like to stay over tonight?'

'Sheldon I'd love to but tomorrow is Friday and I need to go home and pack a bag of things to bring over, I can come over first thing though drop my bag here and we can go for breakfast before work'

'That sounds like a good idea' said Sheldon as he walked her to the door and said goodbye as he took her in his arms for a very long cuddle

Amy was enjoying the cuddle and reluctantly let go before kissing his cheek and telling him she would see him at 7am the next morning

Sheldon went to bed dreaming of Amy and how much he wanted her and how trusting and patient she was of him, it had taken him a long time for him to be comfortable with physical contact and he was gradually breaking his barriers down with her and he knew it was because Amy was special to him, he would not of been comfortable with anybody else

_**Friday morning**_

Amy had arrived and Sheldon was ready to go, he took her bag and left it in his room and they both left the apartment to go for breakfast, though not before running into Penny who was going for a morning jog

'Morning Ames, hi Sheldon'

Sheldon and Amy both greeted her, Sheldon more reluctantly

They continued on to a nearby café and had the breakfast special which was Sausages, bacon, fried eggs mushrooms and beans with Tea and Toast before Amy paid for the breakfast and they left to go to work with Amy dropping Sheldon at Caltech

'Amy I just wanted to say thank you for staying this weekend and for breakfast'

'No problem Sheldon, I'm actually looking forward to this weekend'

'So am I Amy'

They agreed that Amy would pick Sheldon up from work at 4pm and they had a quick hug before Sheldon left the car

Sheldon had a productive day at work and was happy, something that Raj and Howard noticed when he joined them for lunch, time passed quickly and soon it was 4pm and Amy had text him to say she was outside, Sheldon packed up his stuff and left the building

Sheldon broke into a big smile when he saw Amy waiting outside the entrance to Caltech, she wasn't in her car and walking towards her gave him a happy feeling and he hugged her when he saw her, Amy was happy at the new found freeness and confidence of Sheldon

'Hi Amy, this weekend is going to be great, you can help me with my laundry tomorrow night! I seem to have abandoned my carefully ordered schedule when I'm with you but that's something that will remain!'

'Of course I will help you, I could make your favourite meal tomorrow before you have to do all that though'

'Oh that sounds good, but what shall we have tonight'

'I fancy a curry, we can order a takeaway to arrive for when we get back to your apartment'

'That's settled then' said Sheldon as he phoned in the order whilst Amy drove

_**Penny's apartment**_

Tonight was scheduled to be Leonard calling her on skype but she had just received an email saying that he was very busy and he would call her on Saturday sometime, Penny had no option but to accept it and wanted to talk to Amy and Bernadette but they both had plans and she wasn't sure that Alex would be able to offer much advice but as she was contemplating all this she received a phone call from work asking her to work the late shift at short notice for double money so she accepted and went, again passing Sheldon and Amy on the staircase, though this time just nodding at them

_**Sheldon's apartment**_

'Sheldon you know I support you when you say you don't want to be around Penny but how long will it take you to be ok with her'

'Amy I really don't know and I don't want to think about it, this weekend is about you and me and I want to enjoy that'

'Ok that's fine' said Amy smiling at him

Just then the curry arrived and they settled down to eat it and Sheldon decided afterwards to take Amy upto the roof as it was a clear reasonably warm night

They stood holding hands and watching the stars for a while and chatting amicably about various things until it started to get late and they went back downstairs, Sheldon was thinking about using the roof again in the future for a more romantic setting

'What do you want to do tomorrow' said Sheldon as they sat on the sofa enjoying each others company

'I don't mind' said Amy, in truth she wasn't thinking about tomorrow but was happy to sit with Sheldon whilst they were cuddling and he was running his hands over her shoulders and back, she really liked that!

Sheldon was finding he was getting more comfortable with physical contact with Amy but wasn't sure about Amy sleeping in his bed so they agreed that she would sleep in Leonard's room again, so they went to bed but during the night Sheldon was disturbed by noises coming from the other room, he found Amy laying down but shouting in her sleep, he sat down on the bed and tried to calm her until she came to and Amy woke up properly

'Are you ok now, that was pretty scary to watch so I can't imagine what it would be like to be in the dream'

'Yes thank you Sheldon, do you think you could make me a cup of warm milk am not feeling so sleepy now'

'Of course' said Sheldon and they both walked to the kitchen and Amy sat down at the bench whilst Sheldon made the milk for her and for himself, Amy felt herself relaxing and decided she would go back to bed

'Amy I find myself wanting to comfort you so come to my room and we can spoon until we fall asleep'

'Are you sure? I don't want you to freak out'

'Don't worry I wont!'

Sheldon usually slept on his back in the centre of the bed but he knew he would have to make room for Amy and so he let her choose which side and they both got in and spooned and they both fell asleep straight away

Sheldon woke up first and remembered that Amy was in bed with him and he was still cuddling her and found hat it wasn't unenjoyable, he wanted to stay longer but he got up to shower and was getting breakfast ready when Amy emerged looking very fresh and alert, Sheldon passed over her breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon and they started chatting whilst eating

'Sheldon thank you for comforting me last night, I think I can safely say that was the best night's sleep I have had in a long time'

'Amy you are my girlfriend and it's my job to take care of you and I will admit to feeling the same, last night sleep was very enjoyable and I think I would like to have you in my bed more often!'

'Oh really' said Amy flirting which Sheldon noticed

'You are a vixen Amy Farrah Fowler, you know exactly what I meant!'

'I know but I like joking around with you and not having to worry that you might take it the wrong way or being scared anymore'

'You could never scare me Amy, the only person I was scared of before was myself and I think you are wonderful for putting up with me for so long and I think we can now reap the rewards of that, what's the saying about good things come to those who wait?'

'Well Sheldon I will agree with you there. You know I found you very interesting and wanted to get to know you better from the day we first met and I found you was most unlike all the other guys out there'

'I felt the same as soon as you said coitus was off the table'

'Its not now though is it' asked Amy

'I will say for now that it will happen in the future, I'm not sure that I'm totally ready yet'

'That's ok, we can work on that' said Amy

'Thank you' said Sheldon and with that they cleared away the breakfast things and worked together doing the washing and drying up

It was now 10am and Amy had suggested going to the Glendale Galleria to check out the sales and Sheldon wanted to get some superhero t-shirts so he agreed

They had a successful day shopping and Amy had got a surprise gift for Sheldon, they were on the way home when Amy remembered that she was cooking for Sheldon that night and stopped off at the local supermarket to pick up the ingredients needed , while Sheldon waited in the car.

They had been home for a little while and Amy was cooking dinner and Sheldon was sorting his laundry ready to take it at the correct time when Amy decided to give Sheldon his surprise

'Sheldon I picked up something for you at the mall that I think you will like and I already checked to make sure you didn't have it already' and with that she handed over a bag to Sheldon which contained a red baseball cap with the Flash symbol on it

'Oh Amy thank you I do like that' and he surprised himself by giving Amy a quick kiss on the lips

'Your welcome' said Amy turning away bright red flushing from the unexpected kiss

Dinner was now ready and Amy had prepared Spaghetti with little pieces of hotdog cut up and garlic bread and also remembering from her experimental date, Strawberry quick which Sheldon was very enthusiastic about

'Amy I must say this is just as good as when my mother makes it and hers is wonderful'

'I'm glad you like it' said Amy happily

After dinner Amy produced a chocolate cheesecake which they both only had a little of because they were still a bit full from dinner and then Amy joined him while he went to the laundry room and they chatted and played counterfactuals waiting for the washing to finish

When they returned to the apartment Sheldon switched the telly on and found that there was a documentary on about the human brain and despite his dislike for "yucky squishy things" asked Amy if she wanted to watch it, which they did but Sheldon found himself distracted by Amy being so close to him and he was smelling her hair shampoo and the fact that Amy knew how much he was working on the physical contact made him safe with her and that she wouldn't try to force him to do anything

When the programme ended Amy turned to him to say something but Sheldon leaned into kiss her on the lips and she responded and they were gently kissing and touching each other for a few minutes

'Amy I really enjoyed that and I want to do it again but im scared of how far we will go'

'Sheldon we can stop anytime you want'

'Are you sure? I don't want to disappoint you'

'You could never disappoint me Sheldon'

'Ok its time for bed anyway, so let's go get ready'

This time Sheldon wanted Amy in his bed all night and they settled into bed comfortably and spooned the whole night

The next morning Sheldon had breakfast and left early to go paintball with Raj and Howard. Amy had already planned to have a late breakfast with Penny and Bernadette

The three of them went to the same café Amy and Sheldon had gone to the previous Friday and ordered their food chatting whilst they waited

'You know Leonard couldn't skype with me yesterday because he was so busy and then I got upset because I couldn't speak to him but work phoned me and asked me to go in and I ended up working the bar with various leering drunkards but I got paid double so that's kind of payback

'Oh bestie, you should have said something and we would have tried to cheer you up'

'Its ok because I knew you were both busy and I didn't want to bother you and I still cant believe Sheldon doesn't want me around and that's kind of hard to take in'

'Just give him some time, he will be ok a few weeks im sure of it'

Penny was working the lunchtime shift at the cheesecake factory so they finished up and went their separate ways, Sheldon had given Amy a spare key so she let herself in and worked on her laptop analyzing brain data whilst she waited for Sheldon to come back

Amy having lived on her own for so long was used to cooking for herself and knowing just what Sheldon liked she started on making a roast chicken dinner for him that she had also picked up at the supermarket when she got the spaghetti ingredients

Sheldon arrived back at around 2pm having stopped at the comic book store on the way home and could see Amy working in the kitchen, he went to join her cuddling upto her whilst she stood at the stove

'Hi Sheldon dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes'

'Amy that all looks and smells delicious! I'm just going to have a shower and get changed and then I can help you finish'

'That's ok everything is sorted out' and with that she kissed him softly on the lips, to which Sheldon responded and she then went back to the stove

Sheldon was starting to really enjoying kissing Amy and found that given no limits he could do it for a very long time! He was slowly but surely breaking down his barriers and he wasn't unhappy about it either and gave another suggestion to Amy before going for his shower

'Amy how would you feel about staying every weekend while Leonard is away'

'I'd love that but what will happen when Leonard comes back' said Amy

'I think we will continue as we are now so that's settled then!' and Sheldon went off to have his shower

They had an enjoyable rest of the day and were relaxing in the evening and talking about their jobs and they agreed to meet everybody at the cheesecake factory for dinner on Monday, Amy had found out at breakfast that Penny would be working the evening shift and Sheldon said he didn't mind.

All in all they both agreed that the weekend had been a success and Sheldon was happy with the progress that they had made so far


	3. Chapter 3

_**Just wanted to say thank you for the reviews and I'm glad that people are liking so far **_

Monday morning came round too quickly for Sheldon and Amy but they would be seeing each other that night at the cheesecake factory with the rest of the group, Amy drove Sheldon to work and promised to pick him up when he finished

_**Monday at the cheesecake factory**_

Penny was working the afternoon and evening shift when she heard from Amy that she and Sheldon were coming and wanting to avoid any unease with Sheldon around managed to swap duties with a girl who was working on the bar, but before doing so gave the chef instructions of Sheldon's regular meal so that there wouldn't be any fuss from him with a new waitress

The group were gathered at their usual table and the waitress arrived mentioning to Sheldon that his regular order would arrive as normal and then taking the others orders

Amy went to the bar area to speak with Penny

'Penny thank you for arranging that, you know I don't want there to be any bad vibes in the group and they wont know what happened to cause the fall out with Sheldon, only Bernadette knows and she wont tell Raj and Howard'

'Its ok Amy, I feel the same, I am pretty mortified about it all really'

'You know Sheldon and I have been talking and he mentioned to me that you should probably tell Leonard about what happened and I agree, couples are not meant to have secrets from each other'

'You are probably right but I don't want to do it over skype, he's got this important project and I don't want to distract him from that but if I tell him when he comes home he will be devastated and I want to spend the rest of my life with him and I already nearly messed it up before with that incident with Raj

'Yes but you said afterwards that you never actually slept with him, you wasn't with Leonard at the time'

'I know but I came close to ruining something special with him and I don't want to do that again'

'Do you want to be with him knowing you are hiding something though, you don't even know if Sheldon will be speaking with you by then, he will sense an atmosphere especially if you are not coming over to the apartment'

'Look I really don't know how to tell him but I know I have plenty of time to think about it, he finally skyped me last night and told me that he loved me and that he missed me and I felt guilty about what I had done, not just to Sheldon but to you as well and I am still amazed that you are here talking to me to be quite honest'

'Penny I can kind of understand why you did it and I know that you won't do it again, I'm not saying that it didn't hurt because it did but I can overlook things when there are reasons behind it'

Penny couldn't answer Amy finding she was speechless and just nodded at her

'See you later bestie' said Amy as she went back to join the others

The group had an enjoyable meal together and left at around 8pm

As arranged previously Amy drove Sheldon home and then went to her own apartment as they both had agreed and also to go for date night on Thursday as they both had a lot to catch up on with work

Amy dropped Sheldon at his apartment and Sheldon leant over to kiss her very briefly and hugged her before leaving the car

'Amy skype me when you are home so I know that you are safe'

'Of course Sheldon' she waved and drove off to her home

Over the next 3 days they constantly checked in with each other and even when Amy hosted girls night on Wednesday at her apartment and skyped in the evenings and by the time Thursday came around they were desperate to see each other and had arranged to go back to the Chinese restaurant of the previous week and it was while they were seated that Sheldon mentioned the weekend away

'Amy have you heard of the brain museum at Wisconsin University?

'Yes but I have never had the opportunity to go, they have all sorts of brains there from different mammal species and human'

'Ok I was thinking we could go there for the weekend after next, I have already checked out the local area for things to do and have found a zoo that we could also visit and a hotel we can stay in'

'Oh that sounds like fun' said Amy

As they were sitting next to each other, Sheldon put his arm around Amy and pulled her close and kissed her

They had their meal and Amy drove Sheldon home and went back to her own apartment to get ready for the weekend at Sheldon's apartment, they had discussed that it would be a regular thing that Sunday mornings he would go paintball and the girls would meet for a late breakfast and they decided to include Alex in this one

Amy was due to pick up Sheldon at 4pm but was running late thanks to her new addiction study and told him that she would be there by 5pm but luckily Raj had offered to take Sheldon home and he told her to go straight to his apartment when she finished

Sheldon ordered a pizza which arrived at the same time as Amy and after the pizza had been paid for, let Amy get settled before greeting her with a cuddle because she looked a bit stressed from her busy day

'Thank you Sheldon, I needed that, I had to sort out a new addiction study and teach some students about the skills of cutting open brains and it just went on for ages'

'That's ok Amy, I want you to relax and enjoy yourself with me'

Sheldon wanted so much to kiss Amy again and not just for a few seconds but he restrained himself and took Amy in his arms to cuddle her again before giving her a short but sweet kiss

Amy remembered that she had her Harp with her in her car and went to fetch it because they were going to have some girlfriend/boyfriend sing-along time on Saturday

They settled down to eat their pizza whilst watching in Amy's words "a dopey" star trek film but she couldn't complain too much, Sheldon had compromised the previous week when watching the documentary about brains so she let him watch what he wanted

'Sheldon how much do I owe you for the weekend away, I want to pay my way as well'

'Amy it's my treat, I want to do something different and I want to do that with you'

'Ok but if we have the chance to go on another trip, I will choose and pay for it'

'Very well' said Sheldon

They carried on watching television but after a while Sheldon noticed that Amy had fallen asleep so went to get a blanket to cover her with and let her rest her head on his lap.

When the programme ended Amy woke up and as it was late, they both decided it was time for bed, Sheldon made them both some warm milk and took the cups into his room only to find that not only had Amy changed into her nightclothes but was fast asleep, he snuggled in next to her and was soon sleeping

Sheldon woke up to the smell of pancakes and went to the kitchen to investigate

'Morning Sheldon, I just wanted to make you breakfast to thank you for a wonderful evening, even if I did spend most of it sleeping'

'Amy it all smells lovely, I can't wait to eat with you, would you like to go to the Zoo today?'

'That sounds good to me' said Amy as they sat down and had breakfast

After breakfast Sheldon gave Amy a revised copy of the relationship agreement

'This is just to confirm that you will be staying at weekends and that you are happy to come away with me, you know I like things to be ordered some what'

'Ok that's fine' said Amy as she signed it

They left to go to the Zoo and to Amy's surprise Sheldon had arranged that she could go into the monkey enclosure where only the staff were allowed and that she could feed the monkeys by hand, with close supervision by the staff of course!

'Sheldon why don't you give that monkey over there some food as well, he's on his own just watching'

Sheldon looked up at the monkey that was on a high shelf in its enclosure and encouraged it down and the monkey delicately took the fruit from his hand

'Amy I'm glad we did this!'

'So am I Sheldon, I didn't even know it was allowed!'

'Well I phoned them to ask and mentioned your name and they of course knew who you were and were happy to do so'

'Well thank you, that was a nice surprise'

'Your welcome, now lets go find the Koalas!

They had a great afternoon at the Zoo and had also seen the bird of prey display, something that Sheldon would never have done before because of his fear of birds but thanks to that brief time with Lovey Dovey he was ok with the birds

They had just arrived home and Sheldon had switched his laptop on when his Skype rang, he could see it was Leonard so he answered it

'Hi Leonard how's your research and experiments going'

'Hello Sheldon, everything here is fine I just wanted to say a quick hello and for some strange reason I miss you and your quirky ways!

'Well hello back to you! Amy and I are just about to have girlfriend boyfriend sing-along night

'Glad im not there for that' said Leonard adding that he had to go as it was very late and he had to sleep and he signed off

Sheldon and Amy got down to their planned sing-along and were thoroughly enjoying themselves until it was time for dinner and Amy again made Sheldon's favourite meal

Sheldon then received a text from Raj asking if they would be having Chinese and Vintage video games night on Friday as this weeks had been missed and could he bring Stuart, so Sheldon agreed with Amy that it was going to happen and confirmed with Raj but also telling him that the week after that, they would away from Pasadena for the weekend so they would have to make their own arrangements

After dinner they were settled watching television and cuddling, Sheldon found that he had a warm feeling through his body whenever he was with Amy and wanting to pursue things physically with her, he pulled her close and turned her face to his and they were kissing softly at first before it came more passionate and for quite a while as well before Amy stopped and asked him a question

'Sheldon have you ever kissed a girl before like that'

'No Amy you are my first'

'Wow but you are so skilled and you know exactly what you are doing'

'Well Amy I do excel at many things, I don't see why kissing should be missed out!'

'Oh I agree' said Amy as they went back to kissing

Amy decided to take a little risk and just to see how far she could go with Sheldon without him freaking out, she parted his mouth with her tongue and searched for his, he froze slightly but then relaxed when he realised what she was doing and that was she was doing wasn't unpleasant

The evening passed by quickly especially when all they were doing was kissing but soon it was time for bed and they sorted themselves out and carried on kissing in bed, though this time they were laying next to each other on their sides with their legs entwined together and Amy could feel exactly how much Sheldon was enjoying what was going on!

Sheldon reluctantly stopped because he needed to be up early for paintball and it was now after midnight so they spooned again and fell asleep, holding onto each other

Sunday was a repeat of the previous weekend with Alex joining the girls for breakfast and Amy making dinner again for Sheldon and they found that they were settling into a cosy routine and Sheldon was more than happy to fool around with Amy for unlimited amounts of time and was happy to just do kissing while he wasn't quite ready for more. He knew that he was safe with Amy and that she would wait as long as it took but he also knew that having coitus wasn't the be all and end all of the relationship and he was starting to realise what he meant when he said that they were extremely intimate

_**Thank you for reading**_

_**Chapter 4 will include the weekend away and I checked that there is an actual brain musuem at Wisconsin university**_

_**Also I forgot to mention in the previous chapter that in case anybody was wondering, here in the UK Sunday dinner especially if it's a roast is usually had early **__**J**_

'

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	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for all the reviews and follows**_

_**I know I said previously that this chapter would include the weekend away but I still need to do a little more research into that and I want to dedicate an entire chapter to the weekend away so that will be in Chapter 5**_

_**In the meantime, Enjoy!**_

_**Monday Morning**_

Amy had just dropped Sheldon off at work when Penny called her

'Amy the garage has called to say my car is fixed and I need to return the hire car but its all in Sheldon's name and he needs to sign it off, I don't want to antagonise him by asking him when he's not speaking to me'

'Are you working today' asked Amy

'Yes I'm working the evening shift'

'Ok bestie, here's what we shall do, I will collect the car keys from you at the cheesecake factory tonight when we all come for dinner and I will arrange for temporary car insurance to cover me and tomorrow I will take the hire car back with Sheldon and he can sign off the release papers and then I will bring your car back for you'

'Oh Amy are you sure?

'Yes it's not a problem, I need to ring Sheldon and tell him now'

'Ok thank you for doing this, see you later'

Amy immediately phoned Sheldon to inform him of what was happening and they both agreed to take Tuesday morning off to sort it out.

_**Cheesecake Factory**_

Amy and Sheldon arrived at the cheesecake factory together and Sheldon went to join Raj and Howard while Amy went to see Penny at the bar who had again swapped duties to avoid Sheldon, she took the keys and gave them to Sheldon and they had a delightful evening before returning home

The next morning after Sheldon and Amy had gone to the garage, Sheldon asked Amy to drop him back at the apartment as he had some things that he needed to do with regards to the weekend away and asked Amy to come back when she finished work as he wanted to discuss arrangements for the trip

Sheldon was somebody that always looked after his money and he had several thousand pounds worth of pay cheques in his draw so after checking on how much he would need to pay for the trip he took them to the bank and got them cashed in and returned home to pay for everything online

_**Later that day**_

Penny decided that she needed to thank Sheldon again for the use of the hire car and steeled herself for whatever was to come when she went to his apartment, she had already spoken to Amy about what to say but decided to just go with whatever happened so she knocked and waited for him to answer

'Penny, what are you doing here?'

'Sheldon I just wanted to say thank you again for the hire car and for paying for everything, I know you could have changed your mind over what happened and I'm thankful that you didn't'

Sheldon realised that he also had a thank you and being a gentleman said so

'Penny that's fine, also I know you went out of your way to arrange for meals at the cheesecake factory to be delivered as normal so I thank you for that'

Penny found herself getting emotional and wanted to see whether Sheldon would reconsider his previous ban

'Sheldon do you think you could forgive me for what I did, I am mortified with what happened and im so sorry for everything'

'Penny you need to do a lot more than just arranging or a meal to arrive, I cant forget what you did so quickly' he could see that Penny was looking tearful but chose to ignore the emotion as he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

'Sheldon dammit I miss you, even your funny little ways I miss and I don't want you to punish me forever'

'Do you mean you actually miss me or the free meal ticket?' Sheldon knew he was being harsh but he wasn't going to forgive that quickly

'I mean you of course'

'Right well thank you for coming over' and with that he closed the door and got back to his work arranging the weekend away

Penny was not happy with this turn of events but what could she do but give him time

Amy came over after work having gone home to change into a summer dress as it was so warm and arrived with a Chinese takeaway

'Hi Sheldon, how are you doing'

'Im fine' said Sheldon

'What's the matter' said Amy noticing he looked a little weary

'Nothing it doesn't matter' said Sheldon moving closer towards Amy and giving her a hug, Sheldon felt very relaxed when he was hugging Amy and could feel his weariness fading away.

It was while they were eating that Sheldon discussed his plans with Amy.

'Amy I made all the plans for the weekend away and we definitely need to take the Friday and Monday off because of the amount of travel, unfortunately its far too long by train so we will be flying and we have to change flights because there are no direct flights so we will be going by plane from LAX to Denver and then onto Dane County Regional Airport in Madison and with the change of flights included it takes around 7 hours to get there, so we will be leaving here on the Friday morning at 6am' and he showed Amy the flight time details

'That's fine, I can do that now, did you also do the same?' asked Amy as she took out her phone and sent an email to her immediate manager to arrange for the time off

'Yes I have already requested the time off, Dr Gablehauser was very enthusiastic about it, I can't think why, Amy I must say your dress is very nice'

'Oh this old thing, I was very warm in my work outfit and I needed to feel cool, do you know if we will need formal wear at the hotel?'

'Possibly for dinner if we go to the formal dining area, we will be staying at the Radisson, it's the closest one near to the university and which also appears to be well recommended but perhaps if we find a nice restaurant to go to in the evenings'

'Ok that means I need to go and get something then and also to impress you' said Amy

'Amy you don't need to dress up to impress me, you know I admire you for what you are already' said Sheldon as he took her hands and kissed her on the lips

'Well I will still need something dressy, I think I will go shopping tomorrow night with Penny and Bernadette' Amy found herself smiling at Sheldon's comment it was something that she had suspected but it was always nice to be complimented

Sheldon winced slightly at the mention of Penny but didn't say anything other than agreeing with her

'Well Raj and Howard have said they will be over tomorrow night after we go to the comic book store for an impromptu games night, why they can't wait till Friday I don't know' sighed Sheldon

'Maybe they miss hanging out with you'

'That could be why' said Sheldon smirking

Sheldon took Amy to the sofa where they sat kissing and cuddling for a while and enjoying each others company until it was time for her to go

Sheldon was thinking about what he had said to Penny, he hadn't forgiven her but he didn't want to carry on punishing her for something that she seemed to be genuinely sorry about, he too wanted things back the way they were but he was still unsure and didn't want Penny to think he was weak by letting her back into his life so quickly in case she thought she could take advantage again, after all it had been less than two weeks

Amy had sent Bernadette and Penny text messages to meet her at Glendale Galleria to find an outfit to take to Wisconsin

They met outside the mall

'Penny how did it go when you spoke to Sheldon'

'Not very good, he is still mad at me though he did thank me for arranging his meal at the cheesecake factory then we parted ways with him shutting the door in my face'

'I see, I did notice he looked unhappy last night when I arrived but that soon went away'

'Do you think he regrets banning me?'

'No because you know he feels you went too far with him and he wants to be away from you until he can trust you and as his girlfriend I support him in that'

'But you are here with me' said Penny confused

'Yes Sheldon has said he won't stop me from spending time with you'

'Oh' said Penny

'Enough chatting lets go shopping' said Bernadette

They went to several shops and Amy found a dark blue v-neck dress that was knee length with gold pattern around the v-neck and at the hem of the dress

'Amy that looks great, are you going to buy it? Asked Penny

'Yes I think so, you know Sheldon said to me yesterday that I don't need to dress up to impress him and he admires me for what I am already' said Amy happily

Bernadette and Penny both responded with the same comment

'Aw go Shamy!"

Thursday night was date night and they went to their now favourite new Chinese restaurant and chatted happily about the planned trip to come and for their plans for this weekend

_**Later on back at Sheldon's apartment sitting on the sofa**_

'Amy do you think I should invite Penny to vintage video night tomorrow'

'Sheldon it's up to you but I think she will be happy that you want to see her'

'It's not about me seeing her but everybody will be there and I'm sure she will want to hang out with them'

'Only you can decide if you will be comfortable with her there' said Amy

'You are right, I will need to think about it

They watched telly for a while and Sheldon found himself at the mercy of his baser urges and wanting to kiss Amy all over so he leant over to her and softly kissed her neck before turning her head and doing the same to the other side of her neck, Amy was shivering with pleasure at the kisses and was gently caressing his back, they had unspokenly decided to "explore", Sheldon took things a little further by letting Amy sit on his lap with her legs on the sofa and her arms around his neck for support and carried on kissing, sometimes with tongues and sometimes without, they both reluctantly broke away as Amy needed to get home, they were both looking very flushed

'Tell me Amy why did I take so long to do that' said Sheldon laughing

'I don't know but I'm glad that we are doing it now'

Sheldon walked Amy to the door and kissed her goodbye at the open doorway just as Penny who was arriving home from work had reached the top of the stairs and saw them, she looked at them in shock having never seen them so close before and Amy sensed somebody behind her

'Hey bestie, how are you?

'Great though I think you are better by the looks of it!

'Oh I am' said Amy as she said goodbye to Sheldon promising to skype him when she returned home and walked down the stairs.

Sheldon stood there for a moment watching her go and then turned to Penny who was still standing there

'Penny a moment please' and motioned for her to come into his apartment

'Do you want to come to vintage video game night tomorrow?

'Sheldon are you sure? You made it very clear the other day that you are still mad at me'

'I am and just because I'm inviting you does not mean everything is forgiven, or that this will be a regular thing, its going to take time and I know you would like to see everybody together'

'Ok then I will come, wait there a moment I need to get something' said Penny as she went to her apartment and come back with some money

'Here is my share of money for the Chinese you will be getting, I don't want you to think I will be mooching from you' said Penny half jokingly

'Very well I will get Amy to collect you when everybody else arrives'

'Thank you' said Penny realising that Sheldon still wasn't comfortable with her but she was happy that he was allowing her to join the group

Friday evening arrived and the whole gang was there along with Stuart and Sheldon deciding that safety in numbers was appropriate also had invited Barry Kripke. The group had a great evening eating Chinese and drinking plenty of alcohol, though that was mainly the boys and playing games and swapping team mates and by the time everybody left it was almost midnight, Penny knowing that alcohol was the cause of the problems with Sheldon had stuck to Coke all night

Amy and Sheldon quickly worked together clearing up the remains of the Chinese and then walked hand in hand to the bedroom, Amy went to the bathroom and had a shower then retrieved her laptop to do a little bit of work whilst she was waiting for Sheldon to come to bed and then they snuggled down together kissing and cuddling until they found they were exhausted from the evenings events and fell asleep

They both woke up the next morning at the same time and said good morning to each other with a long and passionate kiss

'Amy do you want to go to the movies this afternoon' asked Sheldon as they lay in bed

'Yes what do you have in mind to see?'

'Well you know I like Animated films so perhaps we can watch the new movie that is out called Monsters University'

'That sounds good to me' said Amy as they left the bedroom and walked down the hall to the kitchen where Sheldon started to prepare breakfast.

They went to the movies in the afternoon and had extra large bucket of popcorn and held hands during the movie then afterwards went for a walk around the streets of Pasadena before returning home so that Sheldon could prepare for laundry night.

Sunday morning Sheldon went off to paintball and Amy was with the girls for breakfast, Sheldon had told Amy not to do anything for dinner as he had a surprise for her for when he returned home and had asked Bernadette to keep Amy out for as long as possible until he sent a text to say everything was ready

Amy returned back to the apartment and went to let herself in as Sheldon appeared from his bedroom

'Hello Amy I want you to come with me up to the roof' said Sheldon taking Amy's hand and kissing her

They walked up to the roof and Amy was surprised that Sheldon had brought up a little table and two chairs and a picnic basket filled with little sandwiches, cakes and a selection of cold drinks and he had brought up his ipod player and a speaker to play some music

'Oh Sheldon this is a perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon'

'As I have said before Amy, I like treating you and this is one of my favourite places to be, other than when I am with you'

'Well I have been told that I am delightful company' chuckled Amy

'Amy you are more than just delightful, you are a breath of fresh air to me and you have brought me out of my previous cynical existence! Said Sheldon as he took Amy in his arms and passionately kissed her

'Oh Sheldon that's the nicest thing I have ever heard you say'

'Well Amy you deserve it' said Sheldon as he prepared the food

The afternoon passed by with Sheldon and Amy chatting and occasionally dancing even though Sheldon tried to say that he "didn't" dance but he found he couldn't deny Amy anything and that he didn't want to deny her anything.

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**Chapter 5 will be up by the weekend **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Again thank you for the reviews and follows, they are all appreciated**_

_**As promised it's the weekend trip, though it comes a bit later in the story, I have**_

_**done research into the area where they will be staying and all the places they go to are real places and I hope that it comes across as realistic**_

_**WARNING: MAJOR SMUT ALERT**_

Amy had taken a look at the hotel website to check for the available facilities and had seen that there was a spa and an indoor swimming pool so had gone back to the mall with Bernadette to pick up a swimsuit and a bikini and some lingerie, which Bernadette assured her was supposed to be sexy

Sheldon realising that almost 2 days of the trip would be just travelling had extended the trip for an extra day so that they could return to Pasadena on Tuesday instead of Monday and they were both working extra hours to make up for that and consequently they had not seen each other in person other than Skype since Monday morning and it was now 8pm on Wednesday evening

Sheldon had just arrived home and wanted to see Amy so Skyped her

'Hello Amy do you want to go for a quick meal somewhere, I could do with seeing you'

'That would be nice, I have hardly eaten all day because I have been so busy and I hadn't even thought about what to make, if you like I could come over with a takeaway'

'Ok can you get my usual Chinese' said Sheldon and signed off

Sheldon had gone off to shower and had just finished and dressed when Amy arrived with the food in tow and an overnight bag

'Sheldon I took the liberty of bringing a change of clothes with me as I wanted to spend a bit of time with you, I know we have the whole weekend but I've missed you, it may have only been two days but it felt like much longer and as a bonus I can take you to work tomorrow

'Amy I have to say I like your way of thinking,' said Sheldon taking the food and setting it down on the kitchen bench and turning back to Amy and bringing her into his arms and learning down to kiss her, the kiss became very passionate until they both remembered the food would be getting cold and pulled away

'We can do more of that later' said Sheldon

'Cant wait for that' said Amy stroking his cheek

'Amy if you keep that up, later will become now and I am very hungry! Said Sheldon as he hugged her again and couldn't think why he was so against it in the past

They sat down on the sofa with the Chinese and were watching television and whilst much wasn't being said they were both contented and happy to see each other

They discussed arrangements for Thursday

'Sheldon I am finishing work at 3pm tomorrow so I can go home and collect my suitcase to bring here, would you like me to pick you up from work on the way over here'

'Yes that sounds like a good idea' said Sheldon smiling at Amy

'Do you have any swimming trunks or shorts' said Amy suddenly

'Of course, why do you ask?'

'Well there is a spa and swimming pool and I think that could be something we could do together'

'Ok I will make sure to pack them'

'Do you need helping packing' asked Amy

'No I pretty much have it all covered' said Sheldon

As Amy took the empty Chinese cartons to the kitchen, Sheldon was watching her and he found himself mesmerised by her slim but curvy body, he got up and walked towards her then as Amy turned around he took her in his arms again and kissed her running his hands over her back pulling her closer to him

'I've missed you this week Amy Farrah Fowler' whispered Sheldon into Amy' ear as he continued holding her

'Same here Sheldon' said Amy thoroughly enjoying what was happening

As it was now getting late, Sheldon locked the door and they went to bed continuing to kiss and cuddle.

The next morning Amy woke up first and had a shower before Sheldon was up and then she prepared his breakfast of English muffins and tea while he showered and dressed

_**Later that day**_

Amy had gone home to finish packing her case and had picked up Sheldon from work and now they were now back at the apartment waiting for Raj and Howard who wanted to come over and play halo for a couple hours, Amy had suggested that Howard bring Bernadette and had rung Alex to come over as well and for them to hang out with at Penny's apartment while the boys played halo

Sheldon had told Amy they needed to have an early night as they needed to leave the apartment by 6am to get to LAX as the flight was at 9am

They went to bed and Sheldon set the alarm for 5am and had booked a taxi to pick them to take them to the airport

They had a little kissing and cuddling before going to sleep

_**The next day**_

The taxi had got them to the airport with plenty of time to spare and as they had already checked in online and didn't need to put their bags from the cabin hold, they wandered round the shops in the departure lounge looking for somewhere to have breakfast and found a McDonalds (a bit obvious I know)

'Amy you know its going to be a long day today and you know that I am not a fan of flying'

'Sheldon I am here for you and if you get a little scared during the flight then I will take care of you'

They finished their breakfast and heard their flight number called and went to the departure gate

_**Much later the same day**_

They had just arrived at Dane County Regional Airport and it was 4pm and they left the arrivals hall went over to the taxi rank and took the taxi to the Radisson hotel where they checked in and took their things up o the room, which had a king size bed and lots of conveniences including an en suite bathroom and a mini kitchen area

Sheldon and Amy were exhausted from the travelling and had agreed to have a nap before dinner and they fell into the bed and slept until 7pm

'Amy shall we order room service or would you like to go down for dinner, we have the menu here and I think the mini fridge is filled with snacks anyway'

'Room service I think' said Amy

They both chose to have the crispy chicken sandwich with a selection of cold drinks and Amy switched the television on whilst they waited for it to arrive

They both emptied their bags into the wardrobes and by this time the food had arrived so they settled down to eat it and discuss their plans for Saturday which included the trip to the University Brain Museum, then they went to bed and slept in each others arms still feeling slightly exhausted

_**The next morning**_

Sheldon woke before Amy and had a shower and Amy woke up as he came back into the bedroom

'Morning Sheldon, come back to bed for a while'

'Amy I can think of nothing better but we need to get a move on if we are going to follow the schedule' said Sheldon slightly reluctantly but he still went over to the bed and kissed Amy

'Sheldon I will just have a quick shower and then we can get breakfast, shall we go down to the dining room or have room service?'

'Let's go down to the dining room' said Sheldon

They arrived in the dining room and were ushered to a table and given menus and Sheldon reminded Amy that everything was all inclusive of the room so not to worry about cost and they both ordered Pancakes with Strawberry topping for Amy and Chocolate Chip for Sheldon and they both had tea

After breakfast they left the hotel and took a taxi to the University and found the museum, Amy was very enthused about all the exhibits but Sheldon was less so to begin with but he found Amy's enthusiasm for everything infectious and knowing that he would be taking Amy to the Universities Physics department museum on Monday he knew there would have to be compromises.

'Sheldon thank you for bringing me here, I wish there was something like this at UCLA, everything is brilliant and from so many different sizes and species!'

'Amy I'm glad you are happy, are you ready for lunch?

'Oh yes'

'Well I have found this wonderful BBQ restaurant called Famous Dave's which I think you will enjoy'

'Ok let's go!

_**Later back at the hotel**_

Amy had suggested to Sheldon that now would be a good time to go for a swim in the indoor pool before they went to dinner but back in their room after the swim Sheldon was complaining of a sore neck and back and Amy suggested giving Sheldon a massage to help

'Sheldon do you remember that time I showed you how to massage yourself?'

'Yes I have an eidetic memory I remember everything, you told me to find the myofascial point'

'Well seeing as I'm here I could do it for you'

'Are you sure'

'Yes now sit down on that chair there and take your shirts off'

'Amy!'

'What?'

'We have not yet seen each other naked and I'm not sure that I'm ready for anything like that yet'

'Sheldon do you trust me'

'Amy you know I do'

'Well then just relax'

Amy turned her back to Sheldon, deciding to give him privacy and he disrobed. Sheldon sat down on the chair and reluctantly, looking over at Amy's back turned and slowly pulled his shirts over his head. He sat with his arms covering his chest, waiting for her to turn around and begin massaging his back.

'Sheldon is it ok for me to turn around yet?'

'Y-yes'

Amy turned and immediately walked behind Sheldon, trying to avert her eyes from the front of him. She caught a quick glimpse and was immediately aroused by seeing his milky coloured skin on his slim torso. She rubbed her hands together to warm them before touching his back. Slowly she began to massage his neck. Sheldon began to make little mewing sounds from her hands kneading his neck.

Working her hands lower she deeply dug into his aching muscles near his shoulder blades and shoulders. Overwhelmed with desire to kiss his neck she bent down as she was rubbing him and began to feather lightly with kisses. She continued to knead his flesh, peppering him with kisses in between rubs. Sheldon turned slightly and with one hand pulled her head down to him and kissed Amy full on the lips. He turned fully to face her making the massage more difficult, but she continued to knead his shoulders while facing him, as he lowered her onto his lap. He kissed her more passionately. She pulled back and worked feather kisses across his chin and neck and up to his ear and whispered 'I brought some sexy lingerie with me' causing Sheldon to jolt in surprise. The tingling he felt not only from the massage, but from her words made his belly be on fire and his groin began to have an all too familiar feeling.

He pulled her closer to him as he deepened the kiss, now with fury and longing. The evidence of his arousal began to poke into her and she adjusted herself to brush herself against him. She ground into him and suddenly felt she wanted to be dressed more appropriately. Pulling back she bounced off his lap and onto the floor skipping to the bathroom, leaning just outside to say 'I'll be right back' she winked, nodding towards the bed and closed the door.

Sheldon gazed after her for a moment in a trance. He immediately jumped up and moved over to the bed, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. He pulled his pants down, deciding to keep his boxers on for now. He pulled the covers back and got into the bed. He was too turned on to even realise his actions.

Amy re-brushed her teeth, checked her make up and fluffed her hair up a little by leaning over and brushing it from underneath, giving her more fullness. She had changed into a lovely frilly red and black Basque with matching panties. Deciding she was ready, she opened the door and leaned her head and peered around the corner. She smiled as she saw Sheldon laying in the bed waiting for her but then her nerves started to set in a bit.

Sheldon looked over upon hearing the door latch open and saw Amy look around the corner. He smiled at her, waiting and inviting her to join him. She appeared around the threshold and his breath hitched. The vision before him was more beautiful than he could imagine. Realizing he had not seen so much of her flesh he blushed. Sure he had seen her swimming before and in her swimwear, but for some reason, there was something far more intimate now. The lingerie beckoned him in ways a swimsuit never did. He gulped in anticipation for what might come.

'You-you-you look beautiful' Sheldon hoarsely whispered

Feeling more confident after Sheldon's remark, Amy twirled round to show off her lingerie. She then pulled back the covers and crawled on her hands and knees into the bed and over to Sheldon. Straddling him, she began to massage his neck again and kept bending down to feather him with kisses. He leaned up and caught her lips with his, pulling her down so that her lingerie covered breasts were pressed against his chest. This only aroused him further. His hands began to wander up and down her sides. She pulled back and continued to massage his neck, moving towards his chest. Her fingers traced his collar bone and she moved lower down his chest, kneading and releasing new feelings within Sheldon that he didn't even know could exist.

His hands moved up from her waist up her sides and cupped her breasts. He slowly kneaded them, memorizing them as she continued to massage his chest. She bent down making sure he could still keep his hands where they were and kissed his nipples. He began to play with her nipples through the cloth of her lingerie, feeling them harden.

Amy could feel Sheldon's arousal standing at attention and willing. She adjusted herself so that she was over his erection, grinding him. He could feel that she was warm and wet. Feeling how large Sheldon was against her, Amy began to panic. She pulled up and suddenly felt overwhelmed with nerves. She took a couple of deep breaths, eyes closed and then looked into Sheldon's longing eyes. His pupils were dilated and it was clear he was in full arousal. As much as she wanted him all this time, now she was feeling nervous and afraid.

'Sheldon, perhaps we should be better prepared?' she whispered hoping he would agree. Sheldon was so ready for more, but came to his senses quickly and realised that Amy was right. They were not prepared for what would follow. But oh the pleasure. He felt so good having her rub against him, feeling her breasts, touching her milky skin.

'Of course, you are right, Amy. You are the voice of reason when I have been like an animal' said Sheldon

'Sheldon, we were both caught up in passion. But was it so bad?' Amy was unsure of herself suddenly, pulling her arms over her chest to hide her breasts. She unmounted him and crawled on the side of him to sit next to him, pulling the covers over herself.

'Amy it was one of the most wonderful feelings ever, if you had not stopped us, I am sure I would have engaged in coitus with you' Sheldon admitted

'Same here Sheldon. I just want to make sure it is what you want when we do and that we are both prepared' Amy explained

'I want it Amy, but you are right. I wasn't prepared today. But I will be when you are ready' Sheldon sat for a few minutes in silence with Amy then got a smile across his face and said 'Can we at least say that we achieved reaching second base?'

Amy giggled, and leaned over and kissed Sheldon quickly on the lips 'yes I think we can safely say we reached second base and it was well beyond successful'

'Ok, as much as I'd love to stay here in bed with you, we have dinner reservations and we need to get changed!' said Sheldon

Sheldon got changed into a suit he had brought with him and waited in the bedroom flicking through the channels whilst Amy got ready in the bathroom, changing into the blue dress and when she appeared, for the second time that night Sheldon was aroused at the sight of her

'Amy that dress!'

'Do you like it' asked Amy shyly

'Of course, it compliments your beautiful body so very well' said Sheldon walking towards her and kissing her again hungrily and hugging her

'Thank you' said Amy

'Amy just so you know, we have the rest of our lives to be prepared for full coitus, I know I'm not going anywhere and I know I want you very much indeed and I think going by what we just did, we will have lots of pleasure practising'

'Oh Sheldon, I feel the same' said Amy feeling emotional, 'you have grown so much in the last couple of months'

'As I have said before that is down to you and your influence on me which I am happy to have'

Amy just smiled at him

'Amy Farrah Fowler, would you do me the honour of accompanying me to the restaurant?' said Sheldon offering his arm to Amy

'Of course' said Amy as they left the bedroom

Once they were settled in the dining room, they both order diet cokes and perused the menu

'Amy what are you going to have, I think I'm going to have the ribeye steak'

'I like the idea of the Deep fried Shrimp, are we going to get starters?'

'Yes I think we could get Chicken wings'

The food soon arrived and Sheldon brought up a topic for them

'Amy what happened in the bedroom is something that I will never forget and you know I like to plan things and generally have a schedule and I think we can work upto having coitus without feeling like it's a rush to get there'

'Sheldon I agree, that was very enjoyable and I can't wait to do it again'

'I do know I want our first time to be memorable for all the right reasons, you are very special to me and you will are the only person that I would consider doing this with' said Sheldon as he reached over and took Amy's hand and kissed it

They finished their dinner, choosing not to have dessert and went to the arcade room which brought out the competiive sides in both Sheldon and Amy when they saw a 2 player car racing game, Sheldon of course lost having crashed multiple times but he was happy that it was Amy had beaten him and not mocked him

'Amy tomorrow we can go to the Zoo in the afternoon'

'Ok that sounds good to me' said Amy as they got into the lift and reached up to kiss Sheldon

When they returned to their room they both got changed into their nightclothes and lay in bed cuddling watching the TV and occasionally long kisses before they went to sleep and kissed each other good night and continued to cuddle.

On Sunday afternoon Sheldon and Amy were at the Zoo and enjoying looking at all the animals, Sheldon was slightly disappointed that there were no koalas but it did not take away his enjoyment and Amy was happy to see the primates exhibits

On the way back from the Zoo they were wandering around the sights of the Madison area and found a Chinese restaurant so went in for a meal before returning to the hotel and playing in the arcade room again before returning to their room and going to bed tired but happy

The rest of the break was very enjoyable and Amy decided to keep her end of the deal and started to think about where to go for her planned trip away

_**Thank you for reading**_

_**Would like to say a massive thank you to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** who wrote the bedroom scene for me**_

_**Also to **__**MISOPHONIA**__** for the tips**_

_**Chapter 6 will be along shortly**_

'


	6. Chapter 6

_**All reviews and follows are appreciated**_

_**Also I made a mistake in chapter 4 when I mentioned Sheldon cashing up his pounds, clearly it should have been dollars**_

_**Continuing on from their weekend away**_

_**There will be some angst **_

It was 7pm and Sheldon and Amy had just returned home from their weekend away and were exhausted from the trip, Sheldon stopped to collect his post and they continued upstairs to the apartment

'Sheldon I just want to say thank you for taking me away, I feel like we connected so well together'

'I agree, Amy I don't want you to go home tonight, can you stay here?

'Of course Sheldon, I probably have to work late though tomorrow and Thursday to catch up with the addiction study so I think we will have to miss date night'

'Amy that's ok, I have plenty to do as well and we can still skype each other. I am presuming you will be coming the weekend?

'Yes of course'

'Ok we can catch up then, I think we will do vintage video night on Friday and get the same group of people over as last time'

'I will agree to that'

'By the way Amy you never did say what the addiction study was, is it monkeys again?

'No this time we are testing cocaine on bunny rabbits'

'How's that working out?'

'Well it's only been going for a week or two but we are already seeing different responses, the males tend to get a bit more aggressive than the females'

'How long will it last' asked Sheldon curiously

'This is just a 6 month study, after the 2 year one with the smoking monkeys UCLA decided they want shorter ones, though they are not ruling out doing the same again in the future

'Will you be bringing any of the rabbits home with you like you did with Ricky?'

'I don't think so, I don't want to get attached like I did last time'

'That sounds sensible, Amy I don't know about you but I think we should go to bed' said Sheldon as they cuddled up on the sofa

'I agree' smiled Amy as they got up and took each others hand and walked to the bedroom where they promptly fell asleep in each others arms

_**Wednesday**_

Wednesday was productive for both Sheldon and Amy, Amy had caught up on the addiction study and was able to finish work by 630pm and rang Bernadette to ask if she wanted to meet up, she agreed to come to Amy's apartment

'Hi Amy, how was your trip away'

'Oh it was fantastic, we had such a great time, Sheldon has some pictures that he took and if you are coming on Friday I can show you then'

'Sounds good to me, said Bernadette 'Did you not invite Penny here?

'No I didn't want to talk to her about my relationship with Sheldon, whilst I'm happy to be friends, I want to keep that between me and Sheldon and I know she will try and badger me for details and quite frankly I don't think she deserves to know'

'Ok, I hope you don't mind me asking but did you and Sheldon get any further physically?' asked Bernadette curiously

'Oh yes it was going great and I had dressed up in the lingerie I bought with you and I was giving him a massage because he had a sore neck and one thing led to another and it got very intense and then I panicked and stopped him'

'How did he react?'

'Oh Bernie, he was perfect, he said it was ok and that he wasn't as ready as he thought he was and then we lay in bed cuddling for a while'

'I think you have a winner there Amy, men who are respectful of what women want are hard to find, he's a keeper' said Bernadette

'Oh I know and he said we have all our lives to get to know each other better like that and there is no rush'

'Wow what happened to the Sheldon who hated physical contact and commitment talks?

'He said that I have changed him for the better, but it works both ways now I know what he wants I'm happy to wait forever for him'

'Do you think you two will get married some day?'

'We haven't discussed that and I think that while Sheldon has changed a lot, that particular conversation might be a bit early'

'How are you going to explain this meeting with Penny, she's working tonight and Howard and Raj have gone to the cheesecake factory'

'Well if she says anything then I will tell her the reasons why but I can't see why she'd be bothered' said Amy as they sipped some wine continuing to chat

_**Later that night **_

Penny had just got home and was severely pissed off, she had a terrible night at the cheesecake factory she had heard from Howard that Amy had called Bernadette to meet up and couldn't understand why she hadn't been invited then while she was working the bar, Kurt had turned up with two irritating girls who were giggling at everything he said whilst he kept smirking in Penny's direction.

Penny couldn't help think that everybody seem to be abandoning her, she had one lousy text message from Amy just saying they were back and they had a good time. She searched her apartment for alcohol, she hadn't touched a drop since she had been told in no uncertain terms by Sheldon that he wasn't interested in her and now she was desperate and in her crazy mind thought that alcohol would be the answer, finding a bottle of white wine, she poured herself a glass and downed it in one before repeating twice more and then needing something to do, went to her bedroom and collected her laundry and haphazardly bundled everything into her washing basket

Penny walked into the laundry expecting to be alone but surprisingly Sheldon was there sitting on a chair listening to his music and looking at his phone

'Moonpie' shouted Penny 'its not Saturday why are you here'

'Same reason you are Penny and don't call me that' said Sheldon as he removed his earplugs

'Oh' said Penny as she moved closer to Sheldon to see what he was looking at

'Penny! What are you doing' said Sheldon feeling uncomfortable

'Nothing just seeing what you are looking at so intently, no need to get scared' said Penny as she stood next to him

Sheldon was puzzled at Penny's behaviour, he could see she was acting normally but then he noticed the tell tale sign of drink on her breath

'Penny you know I am not comfortable with you alone and whilst I can't ban you from this room, please go and sit somewhere far away from me, the smell of alcohol on you repulses me'

'Sheldon do you wanna know why I have been drinking'

'Not particularly'

'Well your little girlfriend and Bernadette are having a cosy little meet up and didn't invite me'

'Yes I know, Amy text me earlier when I was at work finishing up, why does that bother you?'

'I'm supposed to be Amy's bestie but she's off gallivanting with Bernadette!' shouted Penny

'I don't know what you want me to say and quite frankly maybe you should have a think about maybe why Amy has not asked you there'

'What are you talking about?'

'Amy told me about the conversation she had with you and how you said you wouldn't interfere in her love life again and she told me that she didn't want to talk to you about it, Penny I don't know why you don't speak to her about this'

'You are right I will' said Penny slamming her laundry into the washer and storming out

Sheldon waited for his laundry to finish and then went back to his apartment and text everybody who came to the previous vintage games night to confirm arrangements, he decided not to invite Penny, she was turning into a loose cannon and he didn't want to deal with her problems and then went to bed

_**Friday**_

Amy picked up Sheldon from work and they went back to the apartment having stopped to get the Chinese food for everybody, they arranged for everybody to arrive at 7 so they could have a little time alone and they were certainly making the most of it as they lay on the sofa kissing and enjoying each other.

_**Penny's apartment**_

Penny was drinking again alone in her apartment when she heard cheering and laughing coming from across the hall, realizing it was Chinese and Vintage video game night and nobody had said a word to her about it, she decided action needed to be taken.

She stormed over to 4a and let herself in, taking in the scene before her, the boys were playing video games and Amy and Bernadette were chatting in the kitchen so she immediately went and sat down on the sofa

'Penny that's Amy's spot' said Sheldon

'Yeah well now its Penny's spot' slurred Penny and started helping herself to the food on the table

'Penny what are you doing, you didn't get an invite so it's best you leave now' said Sheldon clearly unhappy and trying to block her taking the food

Penny glared at him and said nothing

Amy and Bernadette came into the living room area noticing the commotion which set Penny off

'Well look who it is, its Amy and Bernadette hanging around like little besties, I thought I was your bestie Amy and now here you are sneaking around and not even inviting to your little get together on Wednesday' Penny was drunk and very mad

'Penny you know you are acting out of control here' said Amy gently

'Just tell me why you didn't want me there, I wanted to know all about your trip and all I got was it was fine'

'Because I didn't want to talk to you about mine and Sheldon's relationship and I knew you would try and ask about and I don't think you deserve to know'

'I don't believe this, I said sorry and you are still mad at me'

'I'm not mad, I'm just not telling you details, I don't understand why you are so upset'

Sheldon interrupted 'Amy we are clearly getting nowhere while she is like this'

'I will tell you why I'm like this Sheldon you are stopping me from seeing my friends'

'I'm not stopping you from seeing your friends, you can see them anytime you like, I am however stopping you from being here, this is my apartment and I don't want you here while you are like this'

The rest of the group had abandoned the video games and were looking on in confusion until Howard spoke up

'What's going on?'

'Nothing' said Penny

'Penny I think its about time the rest of the group know what happened and perhaps a bit of public humiliation might shame you into stopping this destructive behaviour, let me warn you Penny you are very close to losing all of us here'

'Sheldon please don't say anything'

'Penny you have made it clear you have not learned from your behaviour and you leave me with no choice. Bernadette can you stand by the door so Penny doesn't try to leave while I tell the group what Penny did'

Sheldon told them what happened and Penny sat motionless on the sofa with her head in her hands quietly sobbing, the rest of the group were clearly stunned at what was being said

Howard was the first to speak

'Wow Penny you really must have been lonely to go after Sheldon'

'That's not helping' said his wife and she clipped him on the head

'Penny you need to sort out what you want, I know you said you will speak with Leonard when he returns and tell him what happened but this here right now cannot keep happening' said Amy rubbing Penny's back

'I don't know what I want' sniffed Penny

'Have you had any auditions lately? ' Asked Bernadette

'No my agent claims nobody is interested'

'What have you done about it then?' asked Amy

'Nothing at all'

'Do you still want to act? Asked Sheldon

'More than anything'

'Penny you can't just sit around waiting for something to happen, get a new agent and get yourself out there and noticed, you obviously don't like working at the cheesecake factory and you need to start liking yourself again to stop the loneliness and self hatred' said Amy

'I don't hate myself' said Penny

'From where I'm sitting its very clear that something is not right with you Penny and you need to do something about it, we can help but only if you want help' said Bernadette whilst the others nodded in agreement

'I do and I'm sorry I ruined your evening' said Penny as she got up and walked back to her own apartment

'Sheldon I think Bernadette and I will go back to Penny's for a little while and make sure she's ok'

'Are you sure you will be ok with her?' asked Sheldon

'Yes of course, now go back to your games and you can keep my food ready for me to eat later' said Amy as she stood next to Sheldon and kissed him fully on the lips.

Sheldon smiled at Amy and her ability to handle the situation and gave her a cuddle and the rest of the group got back to the games

Amy and Bernadette got busy in Penny's apartment and sat her down and made her coffee

'Have you eaten today Penny? Asked Any

'No I had breakfast but that was it'

'No wonder you got drunk quickly with nothing to soak it up, have you got anything in?

'Nothing' said Penny

'Ok wait there' said Amy and she went back to 4a and took her food and gave it to Penny

Penny looked in surprise at Amy

'I can't take your food'

'You can, I want you to have it, you need something to eat'

'What about Sheldon he made it clear that he would not let me mooch off him again'

'Maybe he said that but I paid for some of the Chinese and I want you to have it, he doesn't mind'

' I will take you shopping tomorrow to get you food if you like and you can make an appointment with a new agent and I will come with you for support whenever that will be said Bernadette

'You guys are being so nice to me and I don't deserve it' said Penny as she started crying again

'That's what friends are for, they look out for each other in good and bad times, now come on get yourself together and eat up' said Amy

_**Much later that night**_

Sheldon and Amy were in bed talking about the events of the night and they both realised that Penny needed help from the group more than ever

'Amy I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but on Wednesday when I was doing my laundry, Penny appeared and was slightly intoxicated then as well and she was complaining about you seeing Bernadette'

'Sheldon its fine, she has some issues she needs to sort out and hopefully now everybody knows what she did it will knock some sense into her, and help her achieve what she wants to achieve, I'm not sure how she's going to tell Leonard though' pondered Amy

'You are right' said Sheldon 'right now though I need you' and moved on top of Amy and passionately kissed her running his hands up and down her body while she responded doing the same to him and they continued like that for a while happy to be in each others arms under no pressure to do anything else.

_**Chapter 7 will be along shortly**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Saturday afternoon**_

Sheldon decided he would give Penny a little bit of leeway with his banning arrangements and asked her to come over when she had come back from shopping with Bernadette

_**Sheldon's apartment **_

'Penny I wanted to trust you again and I feel that you have let me down after last night but after discussing it with Amy I have decided that you are no longer banned from my apartment but if you wish to come over then you follow my rules and you do not take advantage of them and you will not be allowed here when I am alone, I don't feel that I can trust you fully yet'

'Ok' said Penny 'What are the rules?

'First of all you knock before entering, you must never just walk straight in, second of all if you wish to partake in any night where we are having a takeaway and you would like some then you will pay for it and last of all if there is ever a repeat of your behaviour last night then you and 1 are done, no more chances whatsoever'

'Fine; said Penny feeling irritated which showed

'Penny you could at least look a little grateful, for the last few weeks you have been badgering me to accept your apologies and saying how sorry you really are only to blow it last night and here I am giving you yet another chance when I am already reluctant to do so, I can just as easily take it away, I am not here to cater to your needs'

'Sheldon you are right, I don't know what I was expecting'

'I'm not sure that you deserve more than that Penny' said Sheldon

'Fine fine I get it, I'm the worst friend in the world'

'Penny nobody is saying that but your attitude is not the right way to respond when Sheldon is giving you a chance' said Amy finally breaking her silence

'I know and I'm sorry, that's like a broken record with me lately but I really do mean it' she said to Sheldon 'Would you accept a hug of gratitude right now?' asked Penny

'Absolutely not' said Sheldon 'though perhaps a gentle fist bump would suffice'

''Ok that's fine; said Penny as she bumped fists with Sheldon

_**Monday**_

At 5pm Monday everybody within Sheldon's social group which included Amy, Raj, Howard, Bernadette, Penny, Alex, Stuart, Kripke and Will Wheaton all received text messages asking them to go to Sheldon's apartment for 6pm, Leonard also received the same message asking him to Skype Sheldon at the same time.

Sheldon had got snacks and drinks ready for the group and Amy arrived first and greeted Sheldon with a kiss which became very intense until Howard & Bernadette arrived shortly followed by everybody else

'Sheldon what's going on that you needed us here so quick' asked Amy

'I will tell you all in a moment, I'm just waiting for Leonard to Skype me'

'Why is Leonard calling you?' asked Penny

'Because I'd like him to hear what I have to say' said Sheldon

'This isn't another one of your public humiliations is it? Your not going to tell him what happened are you? Penny asked worriedly

'Penny not everything is about you, now please stop asking questions and just wait'

Penny sat down in a huff, while Sheldon shook his head in irritation at her

Just then Leonard called in and Sheldon answered

'Hi Sheldon, oh hey everybody' as Leonard noticed everybody in the room

'Ok now that everybody is here, I can tell you my news and as my dearest and closest friends, I wanted you guys to be the first to know, the University will be announcing it tomorrow but I have been granted Tenure which I am extremely delighted about though they did mention perhaps taking a few more guest lectures but right now I really don't care about that and plus I will get more funding for my research'

Amy was the first to react

'Oh Sheldon I'm so happy for you that's wonderful news, congratulations' and she kissed and cuddled him

The rest of the group were slowly getting used to this new romantic side of the Shamy, they all thought it was strange though, they all joined in with congratulations and a had a group hug and Leonard was happy for his roommate but also stunned at seeing Amy and Sheldon so intimate.

Amy also had news

'Ok seeing as we are sharing news and I don't want to steal your thunder here Sheldon but I also have good news on the work front, I have been given the position of Head of Addiction Studies'

'Amy you are not stealing my thunder so please don't think that, we are a couple and now we have double reason to celebrate and I'm so happy for you, now lets open the champagne!' said Sheldon

'Thank you Sheldon that means a lot to me'

'Amy you are my girlfriend and I always take an interest in your work life'

'How did you find out about the job?' asked Bernadette

'Well I was approached by the head of neurobiology and they asked me to to apply saying that I would be a good candidate, I had to go through a selection process to prove that but I was summoned to a meeting this morning and found that I was the most outstanding candidate'

'You never told me you were going for selection' said Sheldon feeling put out

'I didn't tell anybody because I wasn't sure I would get it'

'Amy you are brilliant at your job, I don't know how you could have had any doubts' said Sheldon

'I know its silly really but after I got kicked out the Monkey addiction study I thought I would not have a chance but now I have this opportunity I am going to make it work' said Amy

'Good for you' said Penny and the rest of the group agreed and they drank the champagne, except for Penny who was staying clear of alcohol

'Sheldon do you mind if I take your laptop to Leonard's room and speak to him alone? Asked Penny

'No its fine, go ahead'

_**Leonard's room**_

'Hey Leonard I miss you so much'

'I miss you too but I will be home in a couple of months, how are you doing?

'Well I've decided to get a new agent, I really want to act full time and not just every now and again'

'Good for you, what brought that on?' asked Leonard

Deciding not to go with the truth for now, Penny answered evasively

'I have just been feeling disillusioned working at the cheesecake factory and I want to follow my dream'

'Are the girls spending much time with you while you are feeling like this?

'Yes but its going to be hard to get a good break'

'Well when I come home I will help you as much as I can'

'Really? Asked Penny fearful of how things would go when he eventually returned

'Yes of course, Penny what's wrong you look sad'

'Oh I just miss you and hope things can go back to normal when you return'

'Of course they will be normal, our relationship has survived a lot of ups and downs and right now I can't see anything that would break that'

Penny found she couldn't answer, she wanted so badly to tell Leonard the truth about what happened but not now when he was so far away

'Ok Penny I have to go its only just after 3am and I need a bit more sleep before I have to get up'

'Ok Leonard just remember that I love you'

'I love you too Penny' and Leonard signed off puzzled at Penny's reaction and her lack of response to his comment about nothing breaking them. He lay in bed wondering if he should call Sheldon but undecided he fell asleep

Penny walked back to the living room in tears and said thank you to Sheldon for letting her use the laptop and left the apartment

'Do you think we should go after her' said Amy to Bernadette

'No give her some time, she needs to work this out alone and you shouldn't have to keep going on after her' said Bernadette

'I know but I don't like seeing her upset'

'Amy you have given her above and beyond the call of duty lately, you need a break from that, these are her problems, let her deal with them' Bernadette said quite fiercely

'Perhaps you are right' agreed Amy

'Will seeing as you are here I would like you to join me when you are free for another fun with flags pod cast, I have had a few requests asking for you to come back' said Sheldon

'That's fine Sheldon, I will let you know when I'm free, will you be joining us Amy?

'If Sheldon wants me here, but also I would like to apologise for being rude to you the last time'

'Of course I want you here Amy, you can direct again'

Will accepted Amy's apology and told Sheldon he would text him a date when he was free

Later on after the group had left and finished the champagne, Amy had stayed behind with Sheldon for a while longer

'Amy do you want to stay tonight?

'No I haven't got a change of clothes with me, why don't you come to mine instead? 'I have a bit of work to do but it won't take long'

'I don't see why not' said Sheldon 'let me just pack a bag and we will be ready to go'

_**Friday that week at Sheldon's apartment**_

The group were together in Sheldon's apartment playing games and Amy turned to Sheldon as he waited his turn to talk to him

'Sheldon I wanted to talk to you about the trip I am in the process of planning for you, I have narrowed it down to two places and I would like you to choose which one you would most prefer'

'What are the choices' said Sheldon

'Well there's the Alaska Easy Way train tour or visiting CERN'

'I think the train tour would be my choice for now, we can go to CERN when we get married'

'Ok I will book it now' Amy confirmed. Suddenly, she stopped speaking stunned at what Sheldon had just said. Letting it sink in, she hoarsely whispered

'You-you want to marry me?

'Of course I do' replied Sheldon with some dismay that she could not know this.

'Really?' asked Amy shaking

'Well not right now, but someday soon and I cannot think of a better place to go than with the woman I love to CERN'

Amy was again gob smacked. 'You-you love me?

Sighing impatiently that Amy was acting so dense he had to clarify. 'Yes of course I love you Amy. I don't just love you Amy I'm in love with you as well'

Amy broke out in tears unable to control her emotions

'I don't understand, are you unhappy? Sheldon asked bewildered

'No these are happy tears Sheldon. I am in love with you too and love you very much indeed' Amy leaned over to Sheldon to hug and kiss him in delight

The rest of the group watching the conversation unfold were stunned at this development

'If you go to Switzerland to get married are we all coming? Asked Raj

'I hadn't really thought about it, but I would be happy just to have Amy there and we can show there really is only room for two people in our marriage' said Sheldon pointedly looking at Penny

'Yes I get it Sheldon you two are madly in love, you have made your point' said Penny irritably

'What's the matter Penny' said Bernadette seeing she was looking upset

'Nothing much other than I'm probably going to lose my boyfriend when he comes back and I want with him what the Shamy have with each other'

'Penny there is only so much sympathy you can be given for that situation now snap out of the mood or go home' said Sheldon

Penny shut up immediately

'Sheldon I know you haven't proposed yet but if and when we do get married I would like our mums to be there and you can invite Missy and George and these guys I'm sure would love to join us'

'I will think about it' said Sheldon

'By the way Sheldon, I like the idea of getting married at CERN its very romantic, just like you are' said Amy as she got up and went to the kitchen to get a drink from the fridge, Sheldon followed her and the group went back to the games

'Amy I meant it when I said I love you, I really do and have done for a long time, I was just scared to say it'

'I'm glad you told me in that way, it was such a surprise' said Amy she was leaning against the kitchen counter and she pulled Sheldon towards her out of sight of the group and kissed him and as he pressed up against her, Amy could feel just how aroused Sheldon was

She whispered to Sheldon

'I wish these guys were not here right now, I want to fool around with you'

'I know how you feel Amy but they will be gone soon' said Sheldon as he grabbed Amy's bottom and kissed her passionately

'Hoo' responded Amy to Sheldon touching her and kissing her and she could see his eyes were dilated in lust for her.

_**Saturday morning**_

'Amy I have been thinking, I have had all these rules and regulations about my life but I was unhappy but now I have you and you make me very happy indeed, I'm going to throw all the relationship agreement and most likely the room mate agreement as well'

'You want to abandon your carefully structured life?' asked Amy in shock

'Not abandon totally, there are still things I will follow but you and I don't need a rulebook to negotiate our life together anymore, we both know where we stand with each other and with Leonard I am realising just how much he has done for me and how under appreciated he probably felt'

'Wow, you really are maturing Sheldon'

'As I've said before that's down to you Amy, I never thought I would get involved with anybody but the last 3 years with you have shown me how wrong I was to think that and I love you'

'I love you too Sheldon, when will you tell Leonard about the agreement

'When he gets home, I want it to be a surprise and I think we can have a welcome home party for him, he may need it especially if Penny really is going tell him what happened'

'Yes I think Leonard may need some support when he gets back'

'Well as his best friend that's what I intend to do, if I can repay him in any way for everything he has done for me then that will be a start'

'Ok lets go to lunch at the cheesecake factory, Penny wont be there at the lunchtime shift but the chef knows your menu so you will be ok

'Fine lets go' said Sheldon as he kissed Amy and led her out of the aparment

_**Sorry to end it there but I had the ideas in my head and needed to get them out!**_

_**Thank you to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** for help with the "I love you/marriage dialogue**_

_**I recommend you go visit her page and read her excellent stories**_

_**Chapter 8 will be along in a few days**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank you the reviews, follows and favourites**_

_**Continuing on from the same day as the last chapter**_

_**There is a little bit of smut**_

Sheldon and Amy returned to the apartment after lunch and were discussing arrangements for the trip whilst drinking tea at the kitchen bench

'Amy do you know how much time off we will need for our trip?

'Yes, we will need to take 5 days from the Wednesday to Tuesday and part of the trip includes two nights in a luxury lodge'

'Have you sorted flights out yet?

'Yes, I have the details here'

Just as Amy was about to show Sheldon the flight details, his skype started to ring

'Oh its Will Wheaton, I wont be a moment Amy'

'Hi Will, how are you?

'Hi Sheldon, I'm great this is just to say if you and Amy are free Wednesday evening I am available'

'Yes that's fine, come round anytime'

'Ok see you at 7pm, Will signed off and Amy continued with what she was doing

'Ok we will be leaving the week after next on Wednesday morning very early, we are on a 6am flight to Anchorage which lands at 1155am'

Amy then opened up the website with all the travel details and pictures of the lodge they would be staying at

'You know Sheldon its not just trains, we will be travelling through the Denali National Park which has grizzly bears, grey wolves and foxes and the lodge has a hot tub, that's something I'd love to get you in'

'Amy that looks wonderful, thank you for organising it'

'Your welcome Sheldon' said Amy smiling at Sheldon

They sat looking at each other for a moment before Sheldon picked Amy up off the stool at the kitchen bench and carried her to the sofa

'Sheldon! What are you doing put me down'

'Stop screaming I'm not going to hurt you' and with that Sheldon laid Amy down on the sofa and lay on top of her as they started kissing and grinding against each other

'You know Sheldon I think we would be more comfortable in the bedroom doing this'

'Yes I know but that could lead to something very intimate and I haven't planned properly yet for coitus'

'We don't have to have coitus, we can do other stuff'

'Other stuff? Said Sheldon clearly puzzled

'Yes' come with me and Amy took his hand and led him to the bedroom

Amy's plans went out the window when Sheldon resumed his position on top of her but while he was kissing her he lightly brushed her breasts causing Amy to shiver in anticipation and pleasure

'Oh Sheldon please do that again' and she took his hands and placed it on her breasts while he kneaded them and flicked her nipples

Amy was quivering with pleasure underneath him and she desperately wanted to touch his very tented erection but settled for moving her hips in time with his

'You know if we were completely naked you could do more' said Amy to Sheldon

'Yes but with what we are doing now it feels safer with clothes on!

Amy lifted up Sheldon's shirt and started caressing his stomach before running her fingers up to his nipples and drawing circles around them causing him to react the same way Amy did and he shuddered in pleasure

'Sheldon let me try something' he nodded and she lifted his shirt and finding his nipple she lightly grazed it with her tongue

'Amy that feels so good' Sheldon had his eyes closed but his face was relaxed and Amy could see he was telling the truth

'Amy Farrah Fowler, I love you'

'I love you to Sheldon Lee Cooper'

They continued to kiss and occasionally changing positions, they knew they were getting closer to the day they would have coitus but for now they knew when to stop and how far to go with each other

Sheldon reluctantly stopped kissing Amy and they both got up

'Amy that was wonderful but we need to stop before we go any further, I know I want more with you but I can wait'

'Sheldon that's ok, we have waited so long for this to happen and a few more weeks isn't going to make a difference other than with all the practice we have been having, I'm sure that we will have an explosive time' Amy smiled at Sheldon and hugged him as they left the bedroom

There was an ominous rumbling noise coming from Sheldon's stomach

'Come on lets decide what to do for dinner' said Amy laughing 'what would you like? Home cooked or takeaway'

'Whichever you prefer' said Sheldon

'Ok there is some chicken in the fridge and some veg and potatoes I can do that?

'Yes that sounds good to me as Sheldon reached into the bread bin to make himself some toast as his stomach continued to rumble

After they had finished dinner, Amy was working on her laptop and Sheldon had just gone down to the laundry room when there was a knock on the door, Amy went to answer

'Hi Penny come in, Sheldon is not here, he's doing his laundry

'No its ok, I knew he wouldn't be here, I just wanted to confirm that breakfast is still on for tomorrow, we hadn't talked about it'

'Yes of course it is, the plans haven't changed'

'Ok see you tomorrow then, bye Amy'

Amy shut the door puzzled at Penny, she looked very thoughtful, maybe she was finally sorting herself out

_**Sunday morning**_

The girls were at their usual café when Penny brought up something she wanted to discuss

'I wanted to ask your views on a plan I was thinking of and taking your advice about doing something for myself, I am going to take a week off work to go to Hollywood and try my luck there, if my agent is too lazy to try and get me some work then I will just have to do it myself'

'That's a good idea, have you told your agent yet?

'Yes I went to see her yesterday afternoon and told her I no longer needed her'

'Was she ok with that? Asked Amy

'Don't know don't care! All I know is I need to get acting work, I know it will be hard though and even if I can't get anything at least I know I will have tried everything I can and if I fail then I could always go back to doing my Penny Blossom business'

'What's that now? Asked Amy

'Oh before I met you guys I was making Penny Blossoms for fun with no profit, you have seen them I wear them in my hair sometimes, then Sheldon made me realise I could do it as a business and the guys got roped into help me but it didn't last very long when Leonard set up the website with a one day rush order and we had to make 1000 blossoms for a gay, lesbian & transgender society alliance fete that was being planned, we succeeded but then when we finished we found that they had made another 1000 order request and the boys were exhausted and didn't want to help'

'You could do it part time or just change the delivery time so you are not under pressure to deliver so quickly' said Bernadette

'Part time is good I guess and it will give me something to focus on, plus some of the girls at work have been asking me for some and for their friends'

'When are you planning on going away? Asked Bernadette

'As soon as possible, I know Sheldon is getting impatient with me and I think a little space would be beneficial right now, though its likely I will go on Saturday, I have borrowed money from my dad to pay for a hotel, I obviously have to pay him back but I also wondered whether one of you would like to come with me for support?

'Sorry bestie, I am already taking time off to go with Sheldon on our trip and I have to have a series of meetings at some point about arranging for funding for the addiction studies as well as continuing with my regular neurobiology work so I'm going to be pretty busy'

'Ok I can come with you, I'm not sure I can take a week but a few days will help you wont it? Said Bernadette

'Yes thank you' said Penny gratefully 'Have you any plans for the week ahead'

'Well Will Wheaton is coming on Wednesday to film fun with flags and as I said before I may have some meetings to go to and spending time with Sheldon' Amy had a dreamy look on her face at the mention of Sheldon

'You two are very cute together' said Bernadette

'Oh I know' smiled Amy

'Well we have to go visit my parents one day this week, its time for our monthly visit'

'I think I might make a start on the Penny blossoms website, if Howard is around could you ask him to change some of the detail about it'

'Yes sure, though why don't you text him and ask? He'd be happy to help

'Ok I will do that'

_**Later the same day at Sheldon's apartment**_

'Sheldon have you planned what flags you are going to show on Wednesday yet?

'Yes but I think we will do a short episode just for fun and then perhaps in a few weeks we can do longer, I wonder if I can get in anymore special guests'

'Will probably knows a lot of people'

'Your right, I will ask him'

Sheldon had decided that Sunday was clean the apartment day and Amy had been given the job of cleaning and polishing the kitchen and the big window in the living room and Sheldon was disinfecting the bathroom and cleaning the living room, though as they were both fairly clean it didn't take very long so once they were finished they were relaxing on the sofa watching TV

'Look at us Sheldon, so domesticated, we may as well being living together' laughed Amy

'That wouldn't be a bad idea for the future' Sheldon replied taking Amy's hand a kissing it and then pulling her into his arms and kissing her on the lips

'You think about that sort of thing then?

'Yes Amy you know me I am always planning ahead'

'Oh I know and I especially look forward to receiving your planning for coitus!'

'We will both benefit greatly from that' said Sheldon

'Well if it's as good as when we kiss then I wont disagree with that' said Amy as she got up and sat in Sheldon's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to kiss him.

Wednesday came round quickly and Sheldon had planned a very short fun with flags session and he had set everything up ready but Amy had not yet arrived as she was running late thanks to some of the rabbits in the addiction study escaping their cages and racing round the lab.

Amy and her colleagues managed to round them up and put them back but separated the ones that escaped and made a note to reduce the cocaine doses they were being given.

Back at Sheldon's apartment he was pacing slightly as Will was late having agreed on a time of 7pm and Sheldon hated tardiness

Just then the door opened and Amy and Will both arrived together

'Finally your both here' Sheldon said little frustrated

'What's the matter' asked Amy

'Nothing it's all good now' taking Amy and hugging her hello and fist bumping Will

'Will would you like a drink before you start?

'Coffee would be good, milk two sugars'

'Sheldon I will make that for him, you can finish setting up'

10 minutes later everybody was ready and Amy gave the go ahead

'Hello, this is Dr Sheldon Cooper and this is Sheldon Cooper presents Fun with Flags' Sheldon then turned slightly and raised his arm to the whiteboard behind him

'Today is a very special episode, we have had lots of requests for our next guest since he last appeared and I'm very happy to announce that my friend Will Wheaton is here'

Will walked towards the sofa

'Hi Sheldon its good to be here again, nice to see I am so popular!'

'Thank you for coming Will, what flags have you decided to show us today'

'Well firstly I wanted to show the California state flag and the reason for the bear that appears'

15 minutes later the pod cast ended and Sheldon declared it triumphant

'Will thank you for appearing again, would you like something to eat?

'No its ok I ate before I came here'

'Very well, say Will do you think any of your actor friends would like to appear on this show? I can film a little piece asking the viewers who would like they see'

'Well Brent Spiner is very jealous that I appeared'

'I'm not having him, he broke my mint condition collection box!

'Well what can I say, I will ask around for you Sheldon, I have to go now, it's been fun though, goodnight Sheldon and you too Amy'

Amy & Sheldon both bid him good night and Sheldon did his little piece to the camera requesting who the viewers would like to see next, then they packed everything away

'Amy have you eaten? I have some chicken and noodles left from when the boys were here yesterday'

'Ok thank you that would be nice, running around after the rabbits really builds an appetite you know!

'I can imagine' said Sheldon

'Amy now that you are the head of addiction studies are you still taking part in the experiments?

'Yes it something I enjoy doing and as long as it does not interfere with the other work I'm doing it will be fine, I know the other people working there and I can trust them if I need to disappear for a while'

'Ok where would you like to go for date night tomorrow?

'Sheldon anywhere with you is fine with me

'Lets go to Old Town, I have not been there for a while and we can find a nice restaurant'

'Ok tomorrow I am scheduled to leave work at normal time, I can pick you up from work if you like? I will take a change of clothes and change at work

'Yes ok, Amy would you like to go to the beach on Saturday? Not just you and me but we can ask the others as well, make a day of it

'Alright that sounds good to me but I don't think Penny will be coming she's planning on going to Hollywood for a week to look for acting work and she mentioned she might go Saturday'

'Finally she is doing something about it then, you know Amy she is really testing my patience with the moping around she's doing and expecting me to just be ok with all that happened just like that'

'Yes she mentioned space and time away from you would be beneficial'

'That's the one thing we can agree on!

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**Hope that was ok, I know not a lot happened but I'm working on getting Penny sorted out**_

_**Also thank you again to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** for the advice and help**_

_**Chapter 9 will be here in a couple of days**_

'


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites**_

_**This is a very short chapter, the next one will be longer**_

Unfortunately for Sheldon, date night going to Old Town ended up being cancelled as Amy was in a meeting that overran and as a consequence it was now 630pm and he was still waiting to hear from her since she had text him to say she would be late and he had taken the bus home. He had ordered a pizza and managed to get some work done whilst he was waiting for her, when she eventually arrived they had a lovely evening as usual and Amy told him about the meeting and that she had to go to a fundraising event in two weeks time and asked Sheldon to accompany her which he accepted

_**Friday night**_

The group except Amy who was running late again were together again on their regular game night and Sheldon asked them about going to the beach

'Amy I were thinking of going to Long Beach tomorrow, if anybody wants to join us'

Everybody except Kripke said yes

'What time do you want to leave Sheldon, it probably takes about an hour to get there' asked Howard

'Well if we leave at 830am we can still have plenty of time to spend most of the day there and return home in good time, there is plenty of things we can do and we can go on the Queen Mary ship again and visit the aquarium' said Sheldon excitedly

Just then Amy walked in and Sheldon greeted her with a cuddle and a brief kiss

'Hi everybody how you doing?

Everybody nodded and said fine

'Amy I kept your food warm in the oven for you, whenever you are ready'

'Thank you Sheldon, I'm going to need a shower first though, one of the rabbits threw up over me and I can't get the smell out'

'Ok we will all be here when you are done' Sheldon smiled at Amy and hugged her again happy to see her

'You guys carry on for a moment, I want to talk to Amy alone'

He walked with Amy to the bedroom and then locked the door

'What do you want to talk about Sheldon? Asked Amy confused

'Nothing much just this' and he pulled Amy into his arms and kissed her passionately

'I wanted to do that when you came in but not with everybody watching!'

'Well thank you for that, it was a very warm welcome' Amy was smiling at Sheldon and took his hand and they lay in each others arms on the bed kissing for a few minutes before Amy got up

'Thank you Sheldon I needed that'

'Always a pleasure Amy, now you go and have your shower and I will see you in a few minutes'

10 minutes later Amy walked into the living room feeling much better and very refreshed after her shower, Sheldon gave her the food and she sat at the kitchen bench eating and chatting with Bernadette, Penny and Alex

'So Penny are you still going to Hollywood tomorrow?

'Well seeing as Sheldon has invited us to the beach I think I can go Sunday'

'Yes and I'm going with her and coming back on Wednesday and because of that, Penny has booked a double room and I have paid half for it and she will go to a single room when I leave' said Bernadette

'Well I wish you good luck' said Amy truthfully

'Thank you I have a feeling that I may need it! I've looked at a few casting agents down there and have made appointments but I don't know how successful I will be but I can always find out more when I get there, I know its not far to go but I think if I show my face and what I can do then I might get something'

The boys were playing video games but they noticed Sheldon was distracted as he kept looking over at Amy and of course Howard had to ask

'Sheldon what are you looking at Amy like that for?

'Like what?'

'Like you want to do the nasty with her and don't think we don't know what you took her in the bedroom for'

'Howard let me tell you now, I don't just want to do that with her, Amy is a very special girl, I want to spend the rest of my life with her and what we do in the bedroom is no concern of yours' replied Sheldon very animatedly

'I never thought I would see Sheldon in love' cackled Howard

'Yes well I have changed and for the better'

'Yes we have noticed and you no longer mock me over my lack of PHD so please let that continue!'

'Any more comments like that and I can always revert back to type' said Sheldon

The group laughed and carried on playing video games

Later in the evening as the group were getting ready to leave Sheldon brought something up

'We need to decide who is going in what car, I am obviously going to be with Amy so we can take two more people and one other person can drive the remainder of the group' said Sheldon

'Well I can come with you' said Alex

'Yes me too' said Raj

'I will drive my car with Howard, Penny and Stuart' confirmed Bernadette

The group left around 1030 and knowing they needed to be ready early the next morning they went straight to bed.

The next morning both Sheldon and Amy were awake early enough that as Sheldon was feeling particularly horny and Amy responded to that by kissing him very hard and wrapping her legs round his as they rolled around in bed enjoying each other until they needed to get ready

'Amy do you think we need to take lunch with us or should we just get something out'

'Well I imagine there are plenty of restaurants that we can choose from'

'Yes but they are not Sheldon approved' complained Sheldon

'Well what can I say Sheldon, it's up to you but I will probably go to a restaurant'

'Your right I'm being silly, I should be over that compulsion to have everything just so'

'That's more like it! Laughed Amy as she kissed him

The group all arrived at 830 and they were ready to go and Sheldon had decided after much persuasion that the use of the walkie talkies was not needed

They arrived in Long Beach at around 930am and they all agreed to go and visit the aquarium centre first, though because it was so big they split up and went round by themselves

The group had agreed that they would meet up at 4pm to leave

Sheldon was fascinated by everything and he Amy had decided to watch the shark feeding session and had been told that some of the sharks were tame and that they could be touched which they both did and then Sheldon was even happier and to find that there was a restaurant on site so he and Amy had lunch while the others ate elsewhere

After lunch Sheldon & Amy went to the Queen Mary ship and paid for an official tour which they had both enjoyed immensely then they had a walk around the town for the rest of the afternoon

Saturday evening was laundry night as usual for Sheldon and as he did that Amy was working on some brain analysis from her laptop and Bernadette was staying the night at Pennys so they could leave together in the morning

The boys went to their regular paint ball event on Sunday morning and as there was no regular Sunday Morning breakfast with the girls Amy went into the lab to check on the rabbits and to catch up on cutting some brains that had been delivered with tumours in them

Sheldon arrived back at the apartment at 1pm with Howard and Raj as Amy had offered to cook Sunday dinner for them and had also invited Alex so she could at least have a girly chat with somebody while she cooked and the boys played card games

Amy had also made a dessert for afterwards and the group went home feeling very full

After the group had left Amy turned to Sheldon

'Sheldon I wont be able to see you until I come over Tuesday after work ready for our trip away and even that will be quite late, I need to organise the staff rotation in the lab for the rabbits and I have a couple of meetings to go to

'Amy that's ok, we will have plenty of time together when we are away and I also have plenty to do, I also have to give two lectures on Tuesday which will eat into my time'

They went to bed later excited for their trip ahead

_**Kind of sucky ending I know!**_

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**I can promise you the next chapter will be much longer and full of stuff, I just wanted to get this one out of the way**_


	10. Chapter Ten

_**Thanks for reading, reviewing and following**_

_**I have done a bit of research on the place they are going and all the places and things mentioned on their trip are real but I have had to use a bit of creative imagination seeing as I have only seen pictures - it almost makes me want to go myself!**_

_**The entire chapter is their trip **_

_**Sorry for the wait between chapters**_

_**Anyway Enjoy**_

Amy didn't see Sheldon on Monday evening as they both planned to work a little later and Howard and Raj were coming over for the evening once Sheldon had finished work but Amy had sent Sheldon a text message reminding him to pack warm clothes as it would be chilly at night time in the area they were going to.

Her original plan was for them to have a 3 night package stay at the lodge but deciding they should have longer away had booked 2 extra nights which Sheldon had also approved of and on the Monday they would check out of the lodge and drive back to Anchorage and check into the Anchorage Hilton for one night as they both wanted to go to the Alaska Zoo which was close by

On Tuesday Amy picked up Sheldon from work and they went for a meal at their favourite Chinese restaurant then returned to the apartment chatting about their trip

'Sheldon how would you feel like going on a helicopter ride while we are there? We can see some spectacular views'

'Well I'm not a fan of flying at the best of times, so I'm not sure, maybe we can see when we get there'

'Sure, we will have some downtime in the afternoon when we arrive before the morning train journey through the park, so we can find something to do then also'

'How long will it take from the airport?'

'A couple hours at least, I have organised a hire car, we could have got a taxi but I would rather drive'

'Ok I have to finish packing if you like you can come and help, I don't have much left to do though'

They walked to bedroom and Amy saw that Sheldon had finished as he had two bags packed full of stuff still open on the floor

'That was a ruse Amy, I wanted to spend a little time with you in here before I have to finish'

'Oh? What would you like to do' asked Amy flirting with Sheldon as she leaned into him and stroked his belly and Sheldon groaned at her touch

Sheldon kissed her hard on the lips and parted her mouth with his tongue, they moved to the bed still kissing and Sheldon pulled Amy closer to him, she could feel his arousal pressing against her and they were both grinding against each other on the bed

_**Later on**_

'You know Amy I am going to repeat myself here but all those years I was avoiding this kind of thing and really don't know why!'

'Well I think we can safely say you are making up for lost time' laughed Amy as they kissed each other again and she helped Sheldon finish what little he had left to pack

_**The next day**_

They arrived at Anchorage airport at midday to mildly warm weather though a bit windy, Amy went to the car hire stand, collected the keys and was directed to the car park to pick up the car

'Sheldon if you want to sleep when I'm driving that's ok, I know we didn't get much last night' said Amy to Sheldon as she started the car up

'Amy I think I might do that but not for long, I don't want to be rude'

'You could never be rude Sheldon' as she leaned over to kiss him

The drive to the park took around 2 hours to get there and they had a fantastic view of the park as they arrived, with Glacier Mountains everywhere and then they saw the lodge in the distance as they drove up through the park entrance.

Amy was surprised

'Wow Sheldon I could see how great it looked from the pictures but to be here it's just stunning!

'I agree but I think we will be saying that a lot here, the whole area is magnificent'

Amy parked her car and they walked inside the lodge to the reception area and checked in

'Welcome to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge' said the receptionist 'Here are your room keys and we hope you enjoy your stay with us, if you would like to wait a moment while I call a porter he can take your to your room, also if you wish to use the hot tubs you can book from reception and we can ensure you have a private one for yourselves only'

'Thank you' replied Sheldon and Amy together

The porter took them to their room which was a deluxe suite with a king size bed, en suite and a small balcony with table and chairs overlooking the river, mountains and park

'Amy thank you for bringing me here, this is just fantastic scenery' said Sheldon

'You are more than welcome Sheldon, are you hungry? Because I know I am'

They looked at the lodge guide that had been provided and decided they would have room service and rang down to reception to organise it

Within minutes their food was up and they were sat on the balcony enjoying the view and discussing the plans for the trip

'Amy after hearing about that hot tub shall we book one for tomorrow after the train trip?

'Of course and after we have eaten we can go for a walk around the area and walk down by the Nenana river, I have also booked an official tour for Friday but we can still go and explore on our own briefly'

'I can't think of anything better' said Sheldon as he smiled warmly at Amy

'There is one other thing that I have booked on Saturday but I'm not going to tell you until we get there as I want it to be a surprise'

'Oh Amy you know I don't like surprises'

'Don't worry this one is a nice one' Amy was being deliberately evasive and she hoped Sheldon _did _enjoy it

They finished their meals and brought the plates back inside ready to be collected and Amy was feeling frisky

'You know Sheldon we haven't tested the bed yet would you like to join me? Amy got on the bed and tried to pose in a seductive position but it worked and Sheldon joined her

'You know Amy the bed is beautiful but you are even more so'

'Sheldon Cooper that is one corny line but I love it' said Amy 'now let me kiss you'

They lay on the bed on their sides with the arms and legs wrapped round each other gently kissing and caressing each other

'Come on its prevening now, we need to go for this walk before it gets too cold' Said Sheldon

They walked hand in hand to the Nenana river which was in view of the lodge and spotted some tourists white-water rafting, some more successfully than others

'Amy I hope that is not your surprise because I can tell you now, I will not be doing that! Exclaimed Sheldon

'No its not, don't worry I know that's probably not your sort of thing'

'I'm glad about that Amy because it looks very dangerous and I don't like danger as you well know'

'Well there are other things we can look at over the time we are here, I know there is an archaeological feature called The Broken Mammoth nearby which has been dated back to oldest occupation of around 12000 years, that should be interesting'

'I hope so' said Sheldon not very convincingly

'Come on lets keep walking'

As they got further down the river they got to some clearer patches of water where they could see various fish including salmon, pike and whitefish

'There are usually bears that frequent this river for the salmon but maybe they are further up' said Amy

'Well I hope you don't think I'm going that close to them' said Sheldon

'No we are not, certain areas we can't get access to anyway because of their breeding areas and the guides sensibly recommend not approaching them and that goes for all the animals here, which is good because I don't fancy being a bears dinner! Laughed Amy

'Me either' said Sheldon ' Come on lets sit down here on the bench there for a few minutes

As they approached the bench they saw some Hares scampering about in the long grass on the other side of the river

'Oh I wish I had brought my camera, they look adorable' said Amy

''Well we can come back out again another day with it' said Sheldon

'Your right' smiled Amy at Sheldon

They sat down on the bench enjoying the view and each other as Sheldon had his arm around Amy's shoulders and Amy had rested her head against Sheldon feeling very happy and contented. After about 30 minutes sitting down they talked about going back to the lodge and having dinner, though they were both happy to stay where they were

'Come on lets go back; said Sheldon as he turned Amy's head towards him and kissed her, Amy responded by caressing his face and kissing him back hungrily

'This place is just so beautiful, I wish we could stay longer and explore other areas as well' Amy signed in contentment

'Maybe in the future we could book a longer trip, there does seem like such a lot to do and I especially can't wait for the train trip tomorrow' said Sheldon

'Well I think you will enjoy that, it has private observation platforms and I have booked us one and for us to have breakfast and lunch on the train as we are going from here to Fairbanks and back again, there was the choice to pre book the breakfast and have a specific meal but also the choice to book it but choose on the day as they have different menus for each day'

'I can guess why you have booked a private area Amy and I look forward to it'

'I have no idea what you mean' said Amy winking at Sheldon

By now they had got back to the lodge, they went to their room having reserved a table in Music of Denali Dinner Theatre and changed into more formal attire, Amy had brought her blue dress and Sheldon was wearing a light blue shirt with black trousers

Amy had left the bathroom after dressing and Sheldon couldn't keep his eyes off her

'Amy I think that dress is now my favourite thing on you' said Sheldon

Amy could see his eyes were dilated and he was full of lust for her as he walked towards her, he pulled her into him, kissed her and then traced his fingers around the v-neck part of the dress, Amy was becoming very turned on at the light touch and was letting out little moans of desire

'Come on lets go to dinner, we can do more of this later and you can help me undress if you like' said Amy flirting with Sheldon

'Oh given the chance I would love to rip the dress of you but I don't want to destroy such a lovely thing'

'Look at you Sheldon, your such a horndog' laughed Amy

'Well you are the only person I could be a quote unquote horndog for' said Sheldon as he did the quote fingers in the air

They kissed again and went down to dinner

They discovered that the dinner was most unusual as it was served by actors who also entertained the guests, after a while though Sheldon had had enough of the entertainment and suggested to Amy that they leave

On the way back to their room they went into the hotel bar and purchased a bottle of white wine to share between them and took it to the balcony and sat outside chatting until it got too chilly and they went back in and lay in bed watching TV until they fell asleep tired from a long day and Sheldon excited about the train trip in the morning

The next morning they woke early and while Sheldon got ready, Amy phoned down to reception book a hot tub for when they returned later that day and then they got ready to go to the station to meet the train, Amy had her reservations with her and when the train rolled into the station Sheldon was looking on in joy

'Wow Amy look at the train, its wonderful and its double deckered, you didn't tell me that'

'I wanted to surprise you and I think its even better on board, I have booked a deck on the higher level, come on lets find our carriage'

They found their carriage and the observation deck they were booked into and Amy found to her surprise that they also had the services of a butler to themselves for the duration of the journey

Amy reached into her bag and brought our 2 pairs of binoculars that she had rented for the trip and gave one to Sheldon

'It was recommended because we will probably see some animals but because we will be constantly on the move we can see better with them'

'Good idea' said Sheldon as he kissed Amy lovingly

The train set off 10 minutes later on a steady 20 miles an hour so everybody could enjoy the view and their butler came to ask what they would like for breakfast

Having look at the menu they both went for scrambled eggs with breakfast potatoes and bacon, Sheldon was not so keen on the reindeer sausages however so chose not to have them

They were able to eat with clear views of the park as the train trundled through and they had been going for around 20 minutes when they spotted just a few yards from the railroad a pack of wolves feeding on a kill with their cubs nearby watching

'Oh Sheldon look at that aren't they beautiful animals'

'I agree but I'm glad we are up here and not down there being eaten' said Sheldon

The train continued on passing through more spectacular scenery with a guide giving commentary over the tannoy and they spotted more animals and then after an hour of constant moving the train stopped as in the distance moving towards on the railroad them was a herd of moose, one of the guides on the train managed to scare them off the track and the train continued on to the town of Fairbanks where it was scheduled to stop for 30 minutes picking up more passengers and for others to leave before it returned back to Denali

'Amy did you know that we are only 120 miles from the Arctic Circle?

'Yes I had looked it up when booking the journey'

'Well if I ever get to go again for work purposes I hope I have better results' said Sheldon remembering the mess that happened before

'Yes I heard about that from Penny a few months after first meeting her'

Sheldon just shrugged his shoulders, in truth he was over what happened and didn't care that much about it anymore

The return journey was as enjoyable as the journey out with them seeing different animals from time to time and they also had lunch but chose to have something small to eat so went with Chicken and Salad

They returned back to Denali at around 2pm and went to their room to change into their outfits for the hot tub

When they got to the hot tubs, it was an outside area with each tub surrounded by a small privacy wall with a complimentary bottle of champagne, they were the only couple there though

Sheldon hadn't seen Amy's bikini when she had got changed in their room as she had wrapped in a robe but as she took it off, he couldn't believe his eyes, it was more of her than he had ever seen including from when she was wearing her sexy lingerie

'Amy you-you look stunning' Sheldon was having trouble breathing and talking at the same time

'Thank you Sheldon I was hoping you would like it'

'Oh I more than like it' Sheldon was roving his eyes up and down her body and pulled her to him kissing her and unable to stop his hands wandering over her

'Come on lets get in' said Amy taking Sheldon's hand and leading him down the step into the warm bubbly water

Once they were settled Amy reached for the champagne and gave Sheldon a glass which he downed in one

'Steady there!' said Amy

'Sorry, I'm just feeling a little nervous and I have this urge to have coitus with you right now but I know its not the right time yet'

'Sheldon I'm not going to put pressure on you about that, I told you already'

'I know but I am feeling the pressure from myself and I want to do more than just kiss and cuddle you'

''Oh come sit closer to me and we can cuddle, I am happy to wait until you are ready and I think we both get a lot of pleasure from the kissing and cuddling we do'

'Thank you Amy, I love you very much for waiting'

'Hoo' said Amy 'Sheldon you are more than worth the wait and I love you very much'

They continued to drink champagne and cuddle in the tub though by now Sheldon had pulled Amy closer to him so she had wrapped her legs round his and they were gently kissing and rocking against each other in the tub, the only sound you could hear was the soft moans of lust coming from them both

_**The next day**_

Amy had booked Sheldon and herself onto a bus tour of the park, this time going in a different direction to the day before and it wasn't long before they had reached the other end of the Nenana River when they saw their first grizzly bears in the river catching Salmon and fighting each other for the best space in the water

The guide on board had said certain areas of Alaska had black bears which were not human aggressive and you could get within feet of them to take pictures, though they were more likely to be seen in small towns not big parks

Later on in the day when they returned Amy had gone back to their room and Sheldon had gone to one of the restaurants and requested sandwiches and drinks to be made as he wanted to take Amy back to their bench for a little picnic, he had also got a little blanket as well

He went back to the room to collect Amy

'Amy come on lets go for a walk'

'What's that you have there? Noticed Amy

'I wanted to thank you for the wonderful train journey yesterday so I have arranged for some food and we are having a little picnic by the river'

'Oh Sheldon, you didn't have to do that, it's very nice'

'You are worth it Amy' said Sheldon as he kissed her briefly, he picked up his camera and they left the room and walked down to their spot by the river

Sheldon laid out the blanket and set out the food and drink and they watched more tourists who were white water rafting

'You know I'm still not convinced about the safety of all that Amy'

'I know but they are safe to a point I guess, anyway lets enjoy the rest of the afternoon shall we' Amy smiled at Sheldon and they gazed into each others eyes for a moment before they heard a noise in the grass behind them

They both looked and found a hare was sitting just a few feet away licking and cleaning its paws

'It's so cute' whispered Amy

The hare though heard Amy looked up and came slightly closer before tearing off back into the long grass, Sheldon though had managed to take a picture of it very discreetly

'Amy are you going to tell me your secret plan for tomorrow'

'Nope, I told you it's a surprise, but we will be leaving at 9am and the excursion will take around 3 hours, that's all will say for now'

'Well I trust that it's not something dangerous!

'You are correct' laughed Amy

'You know I rather enjoyed the hot tub yesterday maybe we could do it again later' asked Sheldon

'I will agree to that; said Amy

They stayed there for a couple of hours enjoying the scenery and each other until it was time to go back to the hotel, they found though that all the hot tubs were booked for the rest of the evening and instead booked one for the next day

_**Saturday morning**_

Amy and Sheldon had ordered room service and they were waiting for it to arrive so were laying in bed cuddling and kissing

'Sheldon I will tell you now what I have planned and I hope you like it, we have to drive a little way to get there though'

'Ok what is it?

'Well are going to a camp where the hosts are Alaskans that make a living out of the park and whom also organise Dog Cart Rides, that take us up Mount McKinley'

'A dog cart ride? Amy really I'm not a fan of dogs'

'Sheldon its ok we won't be near the dogs we will be in a special cart, a little bit like how the pope is carried around so the people can see him and its very safe'

'Amy I trust you so I will agree to this as long as I don't need to pet the dogs or anything'

'I think that's optional so don't worry' said Amy kissing him

Just then room service arrived so they had breakfast and got ready to go

Sheldon to his surprise found that the dog cart ride was fun, though a little bit bumpy and they were able to stop at points to take pictures, the dogs though were perfectly safe and at the stop points were let off the harness to wander around and one wandered up to where Sheldon and Amy were standing, sniffing Sheldon's leg

'Oh Amy get it away from me'

'Sheldon its fine look' Amy bent down to the dog and put her hand out and the dog sniffed it and let Amy pat him

'I'm not touching him Amy'

'I'm not going to make you Sheldon, don't worry he's very sweet though' the dog had now rolled over on his back and was letting Amy rub his belly.

A few minutes later the leader of the cart called the dogs back to the cart and they got back on the journey climbing higher up the mountain

Later on they returned and went back to the hot tub again and then had dinner,

On Sunday Amy had booked for them to go on a quad bike adventure in the north of the park, they had to have safety lessons first though, Sheldon and Amy had a bike each with Sheldon in the middle as the there was a guide leading them and Amy at the back, the guide led them to a dried up riverbed where they were able to ride around and they found an abandoned cabin which had been destroyed inside by bears looking for food, again the views were spectacular.

On Monday morning they checked out of the lodge and drove back to Anchorage, then checked into the Hilton for the night and went to explore Alaska Zoo which mainly housed animals of the arctic which had been abandoned by their mothers or injured in the wild and also animals that had lived in private houses which meant there was definitely no Monkeys or Koalas which Sheldon and Amy didn't mind

They enjoyed the Zoo and stayed until closing time and as they were driving back to the hotel were talking about the trip

'Say Amy I wonder if when we come here again we should ask the others in our group to come because I think they would all enjoy it, there is so much to do'

'I agree and next time we will definitely come for a lot longer, I feel we had to rush a lot of things, so I hope you had a good time though'

'Amy! Of course I had a good time, you brought me here to this fantastic place and I enjoyed every minute of it, especially in the hot tub with you' said Sheldon

'Hmm I wonder if they have one at the hotel'

'I hope so because I especially liked you in that bikini!

'Yes I did notice and also I never said at the time how you have a very fine body, it something I should see more of' laughed Amy

'Well I won't stop you once we are in the hot tub' said Sheldon

When they got back to the hotel they found there wasn't any hot tubs though there was a swimming pool but Sheldon didn't want to go swimming so they went to their room.

'Sheldon you know we have a Jacuzzi bath in our en suite, we could go in that together, it's similar to a hot tub'

'Will you wear your bikini again? Asked Sheldon

'Yes of course as long as you wear your sexy shorts again'

They quickly got changed and stepped into the Jacuzzi

'The perfect way to end a lovely trip' said Amy

'Amy I have to agree and thank you again for bringing me, this is even better than when we went to Wisconsin! Said Sheldon

'Well I'm about to make it even better now' said Amy as she pulled Sheldon close to her and kissed him

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**The next couple of chapters will be along in quick succession either today or tomorrow and they will be worth waiting for as I have some surprises lined up**_


	11. Chapter 12

_**Thank you for the reviews**_

_**This entire Chapter is Penny**_

_**Also full credit to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** who wrote the whole chapter so a massive thank you to her**_

Penny took time to comb her hair perfectly. She made sure it was in a very stylish but well groomed pony tail. She put on a more conservative outfit because she had heard things about the casting director. He was very meticulous and the part she was reading for was also going to take place in a retro period where she would be in more conservative attire. She had borrowed a cute cardigan from Bernadette and bought herself a cute blouse for the audition to go under the cardigan. She found a longer, just below the knee, length skirt and some lower heels to wear. She added a scarf around her neck. She felt it went with the retro look. She made sure her makeup was simple, natural, yet brought out her big eyes and dewy complexion.

On the drive to the casting director's office, she repeated her lines over and over. She knew she had them down pat. She dried various methods and felt she would wait and listen to what he suggested was wanted before deciding which route to go with the scene. She felt prepared. The girls had given her a good pep talk before she left and Leonard had Skyped right before she left reassuring her that the part was hers. She felt confident, well as confident as one could be knowing that their whole career could depend on how well they did in the audition.

Penny arrived at Mr. Jackson's office. He was the casting director she was going to read for and hopefully be cast in the role for a new web series that was basically redoing Bewitched. It would be as if it took place in the 1960's era, but would have modern day technology and circumstances come into play. She was trying out for the role of Samantha.

"Hi, I'm Penny and I have a 9:00 AM meeting with Mr. Jackson" Penny announced to the woman behind the desk when she arrived. She put her hand out holding her resume.

"Keep it for Mr. Jackson. He won't take it if I have touched it. I should warn you, he is a bit of a man of routine and has OCD tendencies" the woman confided.

"Oh I have a whole group of friends like that. Trust me, there isn't much he could do that would surprise me' Penny smiled.

"Please take a seat over there. He is with another audition at the moment."

Penny took her seat and began looking around at the other women. She always liked to size up her competition. But the opening of the door and the rushing out of a girl crying as she ran caught Penny's attention. Then came the yelling voice...

'Miss Thompson, I told you that I will not accept anyone that has a squeaky voice, no piercings, no dingy teeth...remember that long list I gave you" Mr. Jackson, came out barking orders to his assistant. " What is wrong with these girls? They can't even enunciate well. How do they think the audience is going to understand them? I don't want any foreign accents, I don't want anyone who can't seem to use a comb through their hair, and what is with the whorish makeup on some of the girls?" pausing and looking around the room he pointed "Now send that one, that one and that one home immediately. There is not a day that I am still alive I would ever hire any of those three" he said, pointing to three of the girls who had come in to audition. Three more got up and left sheepishly afraid of the man. He looked over at Penny. "Hmph...well you may as well come back" he said eyeing her and waving her over to his office.

Penny got up and put her hand out "Hi, I'm Penny..." before she could continue he interrupted.

"Penny, what a perfect name. We can't really call her Samantha like in the original series without copyright infringements, but Penny, yes that is a good name for the character. Write that down, Miss Thompson and call the producers with the suggestion." He then turned and entered his office signaling a chair for Penny to sit in. He took the resume she was holding out for him to look at.

"Hmph...you don't have much experience" he glared. "What makes you think you are qualified?"

"I am the fresh face you are looking for. No one had really heard of Elizabeth Montgomery before she was cast in the role, and while no one has heard of me currently, they will remember me and your series before long. Now as far as qualifications? I have been attending Stella Adler since I was 18 years old. She feels I am ready for a good role. However, my agent was lazy and didn't get me any auditions. I recently fired her and decided to go on my own to try and get auditions and a new agent. I learned of your role and studied other shows from that era, including Bewitched, as well as more modern day versions of some of those shows or others equivalent. I know I am ready. " Penny even surprised herself with her confidence. She spoke clearly, concisely and logically. She smiled when she realized that the logic the boys had was rubbing off on her.

"I see. Well you certainly dressed appropriate for the era. Let's see what you've got." Mr. Jackson pushed aside one pile of papers and pulled out the sides to a scene for her to read. He had a copy and gave her a copy. "You have exactly five minutes to go over this scene and be prepared to read it to me. What we want here is that your character has just turned her husband's boss into a toad. The only way to turn him back is for him to be kissed by a real life Princess. In this scene you have transported yourself over to Europe with the frog. You are desperate to get a willing Princess to kiss the frog as your husband demanded you turn him back."

"I am familiar with the scene. I pulled down the sides before coming here and read them. Now she cannot use her magic to get the Princess to kiss the frog, is that correct?"

"Correct, she cannot use magic. She must convince using her own charm"

Penny smiled. She knew she could nail this. So she decided to go for it. She looked over the scene quickly to make sure none of the dialog had changed and once she realized it had not changed she said, "I am ready when you are. May I borrow perhaps your stapler to use as a prop as if he is the frog?"

"Absolutely not. I don't want any germs on that. Here you can use this" he said, and he handed her a folded piece of paper instead.

Penny took the paper and said "Of course, I don't blame you about the germs. I have hand sanitizer in my purse. Would you mind if I use it before we begin?"

"Clean, I like that. Yes, please do" Mr. Jackson was impressed. None of the actors or actresses that had ever read for him were willing to admit to having want to kill germs before they began to read. He liked that in Penny.

Penny reached in her bag and pulled out hand sanitizer and applied it, rubbing it well into her hands and wrists. "Would you like some?" she offered Mr. Jackson.

"I believe I would, yes, thank you" he said reaching his hands out to receive the lotion. She squeezed some into his hands and then recapped the bottle and put it back in her bag.

"Now, when you are ready, I am ready to begin" Penny sat down and neatly smoothed her skirt and cardigan. It did not go unnoticed by Mr. Jackson. Silently Penny thanked Sheldon for his OCD. She realized this man was a lot like Sheldon and having spent years as his neighbor she realized how to deal with the Mr. Jackson's of the world.

"You may begin. I will start." Mr. Jackson proceeded to describe the scene. "You better get him changed back before tonight or you will regret it" Darrin yelled.

"Everything will be just fine, sweetheart. We will be back before you can count to 5,000" Penny gave her line with perfection. She then snapped her fingers on one hand while holding the folded piece of paper (representing the frog) in the other. She pretended to be looking around her surroundings and then smiled. Turning to the frog she said "Mr. Tate, you are in luck. We are here in Buckingham Palace and there is Princess Eugenia. I am sure I can get her to oblige."

Penny continued with the scene, Mr. Jackson interleaving other character dialog. Once they had completed the scene, Mr. Jackson sat and stared at her for a few moments. Penny knew this game. Sheldon used it all the time on her so she just stared back at him, waiting for him to say something. She was determined to not let nerves overtake her. Her resolve only got stronger the longer he took.

"Well, I must admit, I am a very hard man to impress, but your acting coach is correct. You are ready for a role. You said you do not have representation at the moment?"

"No, but I plan to get an agent either today or this week" Penny replied as if this should not be a problem to attain.

"In order for me to offer you the role, you must have representation. Here are a couple of cards of some agents and managers I have had great success with and that I know are fair and good to their clients" Mr. Jackson handed Penny the cards.

Penny looked through them and then looked up. "If I get representation, does this mean I have the role?"

"Well you don't beat around the bush do you?"

"You are a busy man, why should I waste your time. I want the role and I want representation. It seems to me that if you are offering me a role, it would make it easier to get representation as they know I have a role already being offered. It saves both you and I trouble if we work together and place a call to land me the representation and then you and my new manager can work out all the details." Penny surprised herself again at her logic.

"I see. I find no fault with that approach. Shall we?" he said pointing to his phone? Penny nodded consent.

After a brief introduction and discussion, the deal was made that Penny would be represented by a new manager and that contracts would be sent over for negotiations to begin for her part. Penny also had a set appointment to meet with the manager to discuss her aspirations and goals, as well as to look for additional work beyond the role she had just won.

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**There will be another chapter up later today**_


	12. Chapter twelve

_**Thanks for reading and reviewing**_

_**There appears to be a problem with the chapter numbering on my account so if it looks weird that's why!**_

It was the Friday after Sheldon and Amy returned from their trip and everybody was hanging out at Sheldon's apartment

'So Penny how did things work out in Hollywood, asked Amy

'Well I went for a few auditions but there was only one that really interested me and I think I have a real chance of getting it, the director was very impressed' replied Penny

'What sort of work is it for' asked Bernadette

'It's for a web show series, oh hold on' said Penny as her message tone beeped and she looked at her phone

'Oh my god' shouted Penny

'What's wrong' asked Bernadette

'It's Leonard'

'What about him' asked Sheldon

'He's coming home!'

'When' asked Sheldon again

'Tomorrow he's landing at LAX at 3pm' Penny was shaking and hyperventilating

'Sheldon have you got a paper bag for Penny to breathe in' asked Amy

'Yes hold on a moment' Sheldon went to the kitchen and returned with the bag and gave it to Penny

Penny spent a few minutes regulating her breathing and then started panicking again

'What am I going to do, I'm working tomorrow and wont be able to meet him and I want to tell him what happened and I'm just not ready' Penny was running her hands through her hair in distress

'Penny calm down, take the bag again' said Amy

'How can I calm down' Penny was screeching by now

'Look Sheldon and I will go and collect him from the airport and as for telling him you knew this day would come, I thought you had planned what you had to say' said Amy

'I have but it doesn't mean I'm ready!

Penny looked at her phone again

'I wonder why he's coming home, they are not due back yet'

'Doesn't it say in the message? Asked Bernadette

'No it just says he will be at LAX at 3pm'

'Sheldon see if you have any emails from him' said Amy

'Ok I have a very short email from Leonard sent at the same time he text you saying that the project has ended early and everybody involved has been allowed to leave'

_**The next day**_

Sheldon & Amy went to the airport to pick up Leonard and had left Bernadette & Howard in charge of getting the food to bring back to the apartment and Raj and Alex were setting up decorations for what Raj described as a "Koothraparty" They had invited Kripke, Will Wheaton, Stuart and some others that Leonard worked with and some of the guys from the comic book store

They were holding hands in the arrivals hall when they saw Leonard walking towards them loaded down with luggage and as he came closer Sheldon ran up to him and gave Leonard a warm hug

'That was unexpected! Sheldon its good to see you and Amy, where's Penny?

'She couldn't get out of work in time, so she will see you back at the apartment later' said Amy

'Leonard I must say I'm very happy to see you' and he hugged Leonard again

'Wow what's happened to you? You hate physical contact' Leonard was surprised

'This beautiful girl is what happened Leonard' with that he kissed Amy

'I should go away more often if it brings this new happy Sheldon out' laughed Leonard

'We have a welcome home party ready for you when we get back and everybody in our social group will be there' said Sheldon as they finally reached the pick up point car park

Penny finished work at 330pm and rushed home so she could change from her work uniform into something more sexy for Leonard to see, she put her hair up in a pony tail and she put on a black v neck dress with heels

Back at the apartment Leonard had arrived to more hugs and hellos and then about 30 minutes after he got back the one person he really wanted to see arrived and Penny ran over to him and kissed him hard crying and hugging him

'Penny what's wrong?'

'Nothing I'm just so happy to see you' said Penny still in tears

They hugged and kissed for several minutes both happy to see each other and then Leonard noticed her dress and was admiring her figure

'You look gorgeous Penny' said Leonard truthfully

'Will you stay with me tonight' asked Penny

'Of course we have a lot of catching up to do!'

Penny just smiled at him and then the boys called him over to chat about the work he had been doing so the girls went into the kitchen chatting about anything and everything

'Penny don't you think you should tell Leonard now? You already said you want him to stay tonight, how can you say that and still not tell him' Bernadette asked

'I'm scared of what he will say'

'Well he deserves to know the truth' said Amy

'Yes but its not you about to do it' but then Penny got up and walked to Leonard

'Leonard can you come back to my place I need to talk to you'

'Sure' and he followed her out of the apartment

Everybody was watching them with some trepidation

_**Penny's apartment**_

Penny was shaking with nerves as she debated how to tell Leonard what was going on, she was standing in the kitchen and Leonard was sitting on the sofa

'Penny I can see something is wrong, please just tell me'

'Do you want a drink?

'No just come here and talk to me'

Penny poured herself a glass of wine and walked to the sofa and sat on the edge

'Ok I'm going to be very honest with you and I hope you forgive me and know how much I love you'

'What have you done?

'A couple of weeks after you left, I was feeling lonely and Sheldon was doing nice things for me and I mistook the niceness for something else

'What do you mean? Leonard was puzzled

'I was drinking a lot and stupidly made a pass at Sheldon'

'You made a pass at Sheldon? Shouted Leonard

'Yes'

'What exactly did you do and how did he respond'

'He and Amy had brought me back here when I was drunk and trying to ruin their evening and then Sheldon returned a bit later with some of your clothes for me, maybe he thought they would help me but I thought he was very sweet and I pulled him down on to the bed but he jumped up and ran out of the apartment and avoided me until I caught him and even then he didn't want to talk because he was waiting for Amy to skype him

'You sound like you were disappointed? Was you?

'Yes, no I don't know but that's not the worst of it'

'I'm not sure I want to hear this but go on' Leonard was wondering just how much worse it could get

'I saw him the next day and I apologised which he accepted but I made it worse by hinting that I wanted to go out with him'

'Penny what the hell is wrong with you? Leonard was shouting again and getting angry

'Let me finish please'

Leonard glared at her but said nothing so Penny continued

'He said no and then launched into all the reasons why and that he would never betray you or Amy and that he wasn't attracted to me, then a few days after that I realised he was avoiding me again and when I ran into him he basically banned me from his apartment and refused to speak to me and he also told Amy what I did'

'How did Amy react?'

'She was hurt but she said the same as Sheldon and that nobody would be getting in the way of their relationship and she's proved that by not telling me anything about it since'

'You can hardly blame her, you're supposed to be her best friend'

'I was confused'

'You needed to be if you were daft enough to go after Sheldon'

'I'm sorry Leonard'

'You know I'm glad it was Sheldon, anybody else may not have turned you down'

'That's exactly what he said'

'This is like the Raj debacle all over again'

'Leonard don't bring that up'

'Penny I can't believe this, after years of unstableness we were finally in a place where we could be committed and you were willing to throw that away' Leonard was getting angry and pacing the room

'I know and I mean it I am truly sorry'

'Right now sorry isn't good enough, do you remember what you said when I told you about the trip and I was worried I could mess things up? You said if I was going to mess things up it would here and not while I was away'

'Yes of course I remember, its coming back in harsh reality now, can you forgive me?

'I can't believe this Penny, you want me to forgive you? How the hell can I' Leonard was pacing the room by now

'Leonard please don't leave me, you can trust me I promise' cried Penny

'I can trust you? Here is the problem Penny I can't trust you anymore and I think its best you think about what you want from a relationship because I cant live my life constantly wondering if you love me or if you will go off with somebody else'

'I don't want anybody else but you' Penny was crying

'Right now I don't think we can see a way past this, there is the very real possibility of me going away again on more research trips, how can I go not being able to trust you and not be worried that you are going to look elsewhere for comfort' Leonard started to walk to the door

'But I told you nothing happened'

'The intent was there and that's more than enough for me Penny, if you really loved me you would not be looking elsewhere'

'Leonard please don't do this' Penny had never begged a man before and she was hating every minute of it but she couldn't let him go, she was holding onto him fiercely and crying

'Don't touch me, I'm going home, I need space and I need to talk to Sheldon' Leonard was shaking with rage and just wanted to get out of there

'No! Sheldon has done nothing wrong' Penny was trying to block his exit

'Penny just get out the way, before I say something I may not regret'

Penny moved aside and then fell to the floor crying as Leonard left

_**Sheldon's apartment**_

Leonard walked into 4a and saw that only Amy and Sheldon were left

'Amy can you go sit with Penny, I need to speak with Sheldon'

'I don't think so, I want to be here' said Amy noticing Leonard's anger

'Amy its fine I'm not going to hurt Sheldon'

'Are you sure?

'Yes'

Amy kissed Sheldon and left

As the door shut Leonard broke down crying and Sheldon reacted by taking Leonard in arms and trying to comfort him

'Thank you Sheldon that helps a bit, you know I can't believe her, I thought we were finally in a good place'

'Are you ok? Can I get you a drink? Social convention dictates that an upset person could do with a hot beverage'

'Thank you but nothing can stop me being upset right now'

'Leonard I'm sorry for what Penny did'

'You have nothing to be sorry about Sheldon, Penny is the one in the wrong here and right now I don't want to be near her'

'You're not angry with me?' asked Sheldon slightly confused

'No of course not, you did the right thing by banning her and not speaking to her, it's not like you led her on'

'Leonard you are my best friend and I would never betray you like that, despite what Penny thought'

'Thank you Sheldon, has she been drinking a lot while I've been gone?

'In the beginning yes but it stopped after I banned her but then after Amy and I got back from a weekend trip Penny got upset because Amy wouldn't give her details and it set her off again and I didn't invite her to one of the game nights and she stormed in demanding everybody cater to her woes'

'I see and what happened for you to be able to have her here today?

'Well I could see she was trying so I told her a few weeks ago that she could come here again but under my rules and regulations and never to come here when its just me here and she accepted though not without a bit more moaning'

You know that time you asked me to skype you and Penny was speaking with me in the bedroom I could see something was wrong but she wouldn't tell me'

'Yes Amy & Bernadettte were trying to get her to see sense and think about how to tell you what happened and she insisted on waiting till you got back'

'I think that's probably wise and I know why you didn't say anything either'

'I didn't think it was my place to do so anyway'

'Can we talk about something else now, I just want to forget about Penny for now'

Sheldon decided now was a good time to bring up the room mate agreement

'Leonard you being away made me realise just how much you did for me and I'm going to throw away the room mate agreement, we don't need it anymore'

'What brought that on?'

'I was selfish in demanding you do everything for me and I want you to know how much I appreciate you'

'Well I was happy to do them things for you but I will still drive you to work and anything else you need'

'How are things with you and Amy? I can see how close you have become'

'Fantastic, we have spent lots of time together and she stayed every weekend and we have had two trips away'

'So did she sleep in your room or mine?

'Yours to start with then she had a night terror so I brought her into my room and decided that that is where I wanted her to stay'

'Wow Sheldon you willingly had a girl in your bed!

'Well it wasn't unenjoyable'

'I can imagine, look I need to get some sleep I still feel like I'm on UK time and I want to forget this day ever happened'

_**Meanwhile in Penny's apartment**_

Penny was devastated and Amy was losing patience with her

'Amy he's going to dump me I know it, he was so angry, maybe I should call him

'He had every right to be, you were prepared to cheat on him and it was only that it was Sheldon that you didn't and if he told you to leave him alone then maybe you should'

'What did he say to Sheldon?

'Well he asked me to leave so I don't know anything other than Leonard saying he wasn't upset with him and rightly so'

'Amy why are you being so harsh'

'I'm just saying it how it is, look I need to go back now goodnight Penny'

Amy went back to 4a and greeted Sheldon noticing Leonard was not there

'How did it go? Is Leonard ok?

'It was as expected, Leonard is very upset and he has gone to bed'

'Do you think he will forgive her?

'I really don't know but he needs time but I did tell him I have thrown the Roommate agreement away and he was ok with that, all we can do is support him'

'I knew this day would come but what drama' sighed Amy

'Yes there has been too much of it lately' said Sheldon as he kissed and cuddled Amy to him

'I'm glad you're here with me Amy, I don't ever want to let you go'

'I'm glad to be here with you Sheldon, now let me clear everything up here and you can sort your laundry ready to go'

Sheldon though didn't want to let her go and continued kissing and holding her like he was seeking something safe

'Its ok Sheldon you and I are good together and I will never leave you or hurt you like Penny has done to Leonard'

'I know but with you I feel safe, can you come with me when I do my laundry?'

'Of course I can' Amy kissed and cuddled him again and they went about their chores

Later that night they went to bed safe in each others arms knowing that nothing could break them up, they were strong together which set Sheldon thinking

Leonard had turned his phone off while he was sleeping and he woke to multiple messages from Penny begging to see him but he ignored them and went to the kitchen where Amy & Sheldon were making breakfast

'Morning Leonard would you like Bacon and Eggs? Asked Amy as she cracked an egg and put it in the frying pan with some others

'Yes thank you Amy'

'How are you feeling after the events of yesterday' asked Amy

'Well I'm not happy with Penny and I can't understand what made her do that, I always thought she was strong, I thought that she would be fine whilst I was away'

'Has she tried to call you? Amy asked again

'Yes I have many messages from her but I just deleted them, I don't want to talk to her at the moment, I need time to think about what I want to do'

'Well that makes sense' said Amy and then she walked to Leonard and gave him a little hug

'I can see why Sheldon loves you so much Amy, that was very comforting'

'Your welcome' smiled Amy at Leonard

Later on after breakfast Amy was in the bedroom working on her laptop and Sheldon and Leonard were chatting in the kitchen, paintball and Sunday breakfast had been understandably cancelled as Leonard was still upset and Sheldon didn't want to leave him

'Leonard I have a question to ask Amy but I would like your approval first'

'Ok go ahead'

_**Next Chapter will be here shortly**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**I like reviews by the way!**_

_**Thanks to INWHATUNIVERSE for her help with this chapter**_

_**Continuing on from last chapter**_

'Leonard I have a question to ask Amy but I would like your approval first'

'Ok go ahead, what is it?

'I would like to ask Amy to move in here with me but only if you are ok with it, I really love her and I want her with me all the time rather than just at the weekends'

'Oh wow, Sheldon that is a pretty big step. I mean look at me and Penny. We have been going out a lot longer than you and Amy and we have been intimate and knew what we were getting into. Yet even with that, we did not make that kind of commitment and now look what's happened with us. Are you sure you are ready for such a big step?'

'Yes I love Amy and on nights she is not here or even on days she cant be here, it seems like a part of me is missing. I really want her here with me all the time' Sheldon pleaded

'Sheldon, I don't mean to get into your personal affairs, but um…have you considred where this might lead/'

'What do you mean?' Sheldon was puzzled

'Have you thought about the nights she is sick or hung over, or the times she wants something to eat other than your planned schedule or that because of her female issues, she might have to disrupt your bathroom schedules?' Leonard nearly had a hard time keeping a straight face asking such questions, but he knew Sheldon better than anyone and Sheldon hated his routine changed

'Of course I have and we have done very well while you were away Leonard. She stayed here many nights and we did not have any issues' Sheldon defended

'Sheldon you have avoided physical contact all these years and whilst you might be ok now and with her in your bed every night…..are you ready for taking it to that next step? Leonard felt awkward having this conversation with Sheldon, but he felt it was important to set his expectations correctly, even more so after the mess that he and Penny were in.

'I told you all along Leonard, that it was a possibility and I that I am working on it, So yes I have not only considered, I expect that it will happen. Sheldon glared at Leonard annoyed that his personal life was being called into question. Now, does that satisfy you? Can she move in?'

'Sheldon, where do you see you and Amy in, oh say, three years from now? Leonard wanted to make sure that neither Amy or Sheldon would have differing expectations. Penny had confided in him a while ago that Amy had an expectation that they would be married by then and he wanted to see if Sheldon was on the same page.

'I fully expect that Amy will be my wife in three years. It makes perfect sense for us to take that step. You know I like to have a legally binding relationship and Amy has expressed interest, or I think she has. She mentioned to me once that if I got tenure I should consider using the security of the job to buy a house, marry, settle down and maybe have children. I took that as a hint she was hoping that would be with her. What she didn't realize then is that I had already put in my mind a plan and time frame to ask her to be my bride in probably about 18 months and then we will marry anywhere from 6-18 months after that. We discussed a few weeks ago that I wanted to marry her at CERN. Sheldon said it as it was common knowledge to everyone that his plan was perfect and well published.

'Well okay then. Sheldon you have my approval, you have come a long way in a few months and I am very proud of you and I am happy for you that you are taking this step'

'Thank you Leonard your approval is very important to me and now I just need to find a way and the right time to ask her, you don't think she will say no do you? Worried Sheldon

'Sheldon I am pretty sure she will say yes'

'How can you be so sure?

'Because she loves you and is crazy about you, if you like I can give you space this afternoon and meet up with Howard and Raj'

'Your right there's no time like the present Leonard!

After Leonard had left, Sheldon organised lunch and went to his bedroom where Amy was still working

'Amy lunch is ready if you would like to join me' said Sheldon

'Sure' said Amy as she kissed him and they left the room

Sheldon had turned the lights off and hit lit candles and even though it was only early afternoon it was enough to be say the setting could be described as "romantic"

'Oh! Sheldon what's going on? Asked Amy clearly confused as she walked into the living room and she saw the candles lit everywhere and that Sheldon had laid out a feast of food on the kitchen bench

'Amy I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I would love nothing more than for you to move in with me here'

'Oh! Said Amy again putting her hand to her mouth in surprise

'You-you want me to move in?

'Yes of course I do, I love you and I don't want to spend anymore nights away from you and the past few months have made me realise that'

'What about Leonard, how will he feel? Asked Amy clearly concerned

'I asked him first and he said to go for it, though not before asking if I was totally sure about my intentions towards you'

'What are your intentions towards me? Asked Amy

'You already know that I want to marry you, we can talk about that in due course, right now I want you here with me all the time' said Sheldon

'Ok'

'Ok what? Said Sheldon confused

'I mean ok yes I will move in with you' said Amy excitedly

'Thank you! I was worried that you were going to say no but Leonard tried to assure me otherwise'

'Well I can't wait to move in with you' said Amy smiling at Sheldon and got up from her stool and kissed Sheldon and hugged him in delight

'I love you Amy Farrah Fowler and I don't ever want to be apart from you'

'I love you very much Sheldon' as they hugged again

'Do you need to give notice to your landlord? Asked Sheldon

'Yes but the landlord is usually flexible and I could be moved in here within 2 weeks if that is good for you'

'Amy that is more than good' Sheldon kissed her again ' Now lets eat and then we can have everybody over to celebrate later'

'Do you think we should ask Penny' said Amy

'I don't think Leonard wants to see her right now also I don't want her causing problems and ruining our celebration'

'Ok I will text Bernadette and Alex and you can let the guys know' said Amy

'Ok after we have eaten we can go and get some champagne to celebrate!'

_**Later on**_

Sheldon and Amy were back from getting the champagne and were kissing very intensely on the sofa with Amy sitting on Sheldon's lap when Leonard walked in, Amy jumped off Sheldon quickly feeling embarrassed they had been caught kissing

'Sorry to interrupt' said Leonard' 'Amy I'm glad you are moving in'

'Thank you Leonard and thank you for encouraging Sheldon'

'No problems, I can see how happy the two of you are' replied Leonard

Eventually everybody arrived and Sheldon and Amy told them all why they had been asked over

'Well today Amy has agreed to move in with me and we wanted to celebrate with our best friends, now if everybody has a glass I would like to raise a toast to Amy for agreeing to move in and for having the patience in putting up with me for so long'

The group toasted the new arrangement and were soon chatting and laughing amongst each other

'Amy have you told Penny your news? I notice she is not here' asked Bernadette

'No not yet and Leonard doesn't want to see her and I don't think we need any more dramas'

'That's understandable, you don't mind I go and see her?

'Of course not'

Bernadette walked over to 4b and knocked and waited as Penny took ages to answer

'Oh Bernie thank you for coming, everybody is ignoring me, they hate me and Leonard wont respond to my calls or texts' said Penny in distress

Bernadette walked into the apartment and saw used tissues everywhere and saw that Penny had clearly been crying for some time

'Penny nobody hates you and Leonard said to give him time, if you keep pestering him it will just make him stay away longer, the reason I came over though is that Sheldon has asked Amy to move in and she has agreed, she didn't say that she had told you yet so I thought it best I let you know now'

'Thanks for telling me, I feel like I'm losing her as a friend, she was very off with me yesterday after I told Leonard what happened and she was here and she wont tell me anything anymore' Penny was whining and she didn't care about it either

'Penny you can hardly blame her, you are her first proper friend and you pretty much blew her trust in you by attempting to seduce her boyfriend which didn't work so its no wonder she is reluctant to trust you with personal things now'

'Are they celebrating now over there?

'Yes'

'I don't know how to fix this with her, there is Leonard as well and I know Sheldon doesn't really want me around it's all such a mess'

'Look just give her time, she still wants to be friends with you and so do I'

'How much time though, its been months' exclaimed Penny reaching for a bottle of win

'Do you think that is wise? You know what alcohol makes you do, you haven't learned have you' said Bernadette quite strongly

'Right now I really don't care, I just want to forget about everything, now please leave me alone' said Penny as she tried to force Bernadette out of her apartment

'I don't think that's the answer Penny but I can't stop you from destroying yourself'

'I just want Leonard to come back, nothing happened' said Penny

'Maybe but you wanted it to happen and that's bad enough, Penny I'm going back next door, I will see you later'

When Bernadette went back to 4a she told them what had just happened

'She's drinking again but I think we should leave her this time, we have given her enough help and she keeps throwing it back in our faces and we cant let her spoil today, now lets congratulate Sheldon & Amy'

They all did and clinked glasses and had a fun evening celebrating

The following week Amy had informed her landlord that should would be leaving and he had agreed to two weeks notice so Amy with help from Sheldon and Leonard in the evenings was packing up her possessions but after Sheldon had suggested to her that in the not too distant future they could probably afford a house together now that they were both earning more money so Amy had arranged for her bed, sofa, chairs, various other bits of furniture and various kitchen utensils to go to her mothers house after she agreed to keep them in her spare room.

Sheldon had made space in his bedroom for Amy's wardrobe and drawers and had also made space in the living room for Amy's desk by the window, everything that wasn't coming Amy had boxed up and taken to the local charity shop

It was a week after Leonard had returned and he had deliberately not seen Penny but she had continued to send messages and call him, which he had ignored but he decided he was now ready to face her

As it was when he left 4a, Penny had just reached the top of the stairs

'Penny I think now would be a good time for me to talk to you, let's go to your apartment where we have privacy'

They went into the apartment and Penny sat down on the sofa and Leonard was standing by the door looking ready to escape

'We need a break from each other, you need to work out what you want in a relationship and at the moment I don't think that it's with me, you obviously have some issues you need to sort out, its not right that you say you love somebody and yet you are willing to cheat on me the minute I go away'

'Are you seriously saying we are over? Asked Penny feeling scared

'Yes' said Leonard in finality

'Oh god' cried Penny 'what can I do to change your mind'

'As I said you need to think about what you want from life but I am no longer chasing after you Penny. We are done, I have spent too long of our relationship doing that and I feel that nothing more can be gained from this, I think in time we could be friends again but I would rather you stay away from me for now'

'Leonard please don't do this' Penny was holding onto him to stop him from leaving

'Penny let me go, we are finished now goodbye

As Leonard left Penny couldn't believe it, she was finally realising that she had dangled Leonard for too long, she had messed up and his patience had snapped. She lay on the sofa devastated and crying over the man she loved

Leonard had gone back to 4a and he felt free for the first time in a long time, he loved Penny but he knew she wasn't right for him and he had decided if he was to date again in the future, then it would be an equal relationship with somebody who had things in common with him and didn't have commitment issues

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Next chapter will be in a few days**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Thanks for the reviews, follows & favourites, they are all appreciated**_

_**The aftermath of Leonard finishing with Penny and a bit more**_

After Leonard had finished with Penny he went for a walk to clear his head, he felt happy but sad that he had to do that, he knew he loved Penny but he wasn't sure what Penny wanted anymore

He returned back to the apartment where Sheldon was working on his laptop and Amy was cooking dinner and decided to tell them what happened with Penny

'So you guys I went to see Penny and I finished with her, I can't trust her at the moment so I thought that was the only option'

'Well Leonard if its any consolation I think you did the right thing, I know she's supposed to be my bestie but she has a strange way of showing it, how did you end things with her' asked Amy

'I just said to her that I couldn't spend my life chasing after her anymore, she needs to find out what she wants from a relationship and then I told her that I had to go and she tried to stop me but I had to be firm about it'

'How do you feel now Leonard? Asked Sheldon

'I feel happy that I have made a decision about the relationship but sad that it had to end this way, I don't know if we can ever get back together in the future when I don't trust her but I'm not going to be chasing after her anymore and I think I need to work out just why I was attracted to her'

'Well you don't have to decide anything yet, you need time to get over her and she needs to understand just what is she has done wrong because that appears to be something she doesn't understand' said Amy

'I agree, Amy what are you cooking it smells delicious' asked Leonard

'Well I'm doing my Sunday special of Roast Chicken with potatoes and vegetables, I have made it with you in mind as well I got a cheesecake for dessert but you may not be able to eat that with your lactose intolerance'

'Oh thank you Amy I can see already you are going to be a great roommate!' Leonard smiled at Amy

'Oh I think that's guaranteed' said Sheldon

'Ok the chicken will take about 40 minutes more, now I need to go and see Penny she text me just before you came in and I think I should see her, you don't mind do you Leonard?' said Amy

'Of course not, if anything I think you may be a great comfort to her despite your reluctance with her at the moment and in any case I have some work to finish up' said Leonard as he took his laptop from his desk and some papers and walked to his bedroom

Amy walked up to Sheldon who was working at his desk and cuddled him while he was sitting at his chair and as he turned his head towards her she kissed him and gently massaged his shoulders

'Sheldon I wont be long, I just want to make sure she's ok'

'Amy it's ok I know you don't hate her and that's one of the things I love about you' said Sheldon as he stood up and pulled Amy towards him and kissed her again

'Ok can you just keep an eye on the oven, it should be ok, in any case as I won't be long as I mentioned'

'Sure' said Sheldon as he continued kissing Amy

After a few minutes Amy reluctantly stopped and went over to Penny's

Amy knocked and Penny opened the door immediately and she could see Penny was upset, she had red eyes from crying, Penny had also called Bernadette over and she arrived at the same time as Amy

Penny invited them both in and they both sat on the sofa whilst Penny sat in the armchair clutching a glass of wine

'You guys are so good coming over to see me when I know I probably don't deserve either of you with the way I have been lately '

'Penny whatever has happened we can get through this as friends, I may not fully trust you with everything that's going on with me and Sheldon but I wont desert you if you really want me here but you need to get a grip on some things in your life' said Amy

'I know and I'm hoping to hear back from the director of the web series audition I went for to see when I can begin filming and that will be a new start for me to start living again and not mess up peoples lives, you know Leonard told me today we are definitely finished, I really cant believe it, I never ever thought he would do that'

'Penny did you seriously not consider that Leonard would finish with you? How can you be so naïve' exclaimed Bernadette

'I don't know, I guessed I pushed him too far, Amy how did he seem when he went back to the apartment'

'You may not like this but he was relieved and happy' said Amy

'I don't want to lose him but he told me to stay away from him and that maybe we could be friends in time but I don't want to be friends I want to be his girlfriend and I want to be with him now and not with him over there hating me' cried Penny

'Penny you need to get a grip, you don't seem to be very aware of just what you did, no wonder Leonard finished with you, you cant just snap your fingers and everything is alright or everybody does what you want them to do you know' Amy was shouting the last bit and wanted to leave before things got any worse

'Amy calm down, look Penny do you understand just what it is you have done? Said Bernadette

'Yes but nothing actually happened and I know I strung Leonard along for so long and he said that to me as well, I am more than aware and you two keep bringing it up, does not help me with getting him back. Said Penny

'Penny how would you feel if you went away and Leonard tried it on with somebody but didn't get anywhere with them' asked Amy

'Leonard would never have cheated on me' said Penny firmly

'That doesn't answer the question but seeing as you are burying your head in the sand here then I don't think we can help you get him back especially when he has made it very clear that he doesn't want you Penny, you need to start thinking of life without him' Amy knew she was being harsh but Penny was in her own world

'But I love him' sobbed Penny as Bernadette got up and hugged her

'We know you do and he loves you too but he no longer trusts you, that's the key issue here Penny and you need to understand that' said Amy

Penny didn't say anything just sobbing in Bernadette's arms

'Look the guys are having games night at Sheldon's on Monday, Amy and I can come over here and spend the evening with you if that helps' said Bernadette

'Actually would you prefer to come to my place, I still have a few things left to box up and could do with the help, Leonard and Sheldon helped me with the big stuff last week but we could have fun finishing off' said Amy

'Ok thank you, I could do with cheering up and I know it's all my fault and I'm not looking for sympathy especially from you Amy, you deserve a better best friend I know that I hurt you and I apologise'

'Penny its fine but I really don't think drinking your troubles away is going to help, I don't want to nag you but you need to stop but that's down to you not us'

'I know and you guys have helped a lot'

'OK I need to get back next door as I'm cooking and it's almost ready, the guys will be hungry! Come to my place for 630pm I will have Chinese ready for you both'

The girls said there goodbyes and Amy went back to 4a where Sheldon greeted her back with a long kiss

'I thought you would need that Amy, I know how exhausting Penny can be sometimes'

'Well as you know kissing you is always good' Amy smiled at Sheldon and then they moved to the sofa and sat down kissing until the oven timer went off

'Amy was it really bad over there? Asked Sheldon they both walked to the kitchen

'Yes, she's at the denial stage at the moment, I suggested to her and Bernadette that they come to my place tomorrow and help me finish off the last of my bits and pieces and we can have Chinese and have fun, I don't know how successful it will be though'

'Do you have more stuff to bring here?

'Well apart from my clothes, I have cds and DVDs but I will leave them in a box and put them away somewhere, I can see it will be a little cramped here if I bring everything'

'That's not what I meant Amy! You can bring whatever you like' Sheldon was mildly horrified that he could of offended Amy

'Its ok Sheldon I have a lot of books relevant to my work which I was going to bring but I have plenty of space at work to store them and I will just bring them home with me when I need them'

'Amy I think living with you is going to be brilliant, it worked very well at weekends and I'm really looking forward to having you here' said Sheldon

'Being with you Sheldon is everything to me and I will show you just how much you wont regret it'

'Amy I never had any doubts about asking you, so you don't need to prove anything to me'

'Ok can you get Leonard dinner is almost ready'

'Sure but first there's something I want to do' said Sheldon as he moved closer to Amy who was leaning against the kitchen counter and kissed her and pressed up against her so she could feel his arousal

'I love you Amy and I don't want ever to let you go'

'I feel the same Sheldon, we are very good together and we make a great team' they smiled at each other for a moment before Sheldon went off to get Leonard

_**Monday night at Sheldon & Leonard's apartment**_

The group had not got round to starting the games yet and were eating Pizza and discussing what happened with Leonard and Penny

'So Leonard you seriously finished with Penny? Asked Raj

'Yes if the trust has gone then there is no hope for the relationship to last' said Leonard

'You do know you will never get anybody as hot as Penny ever again' said Howard

'Well I'm learning that looks are not everything, I would rather have trust over looks any day and If I ever do date again then I would prefer to be with somebody more compatible, like Sheldon has with Amy' replied Leonard

'Do you think you will ever get back with Penny? Asked Raj

'For now I will say no and I am realising just how little we had in common, she didn't like any of the games we played and do you remember when you got them dolls, I really wanted one but I didn't because of the way Penny was acting'

'You know Leonard I heard from Bernadette that when she and Amy were at Penny's yesterday she was in total denial about it all, how will you deal with her if she tries to change your mind? Said Howard

'I hope that she will realise how serious I am because pestering me will not make me go back to her, I finally have a bit of self worth for the first time in a long time and I don't want to be in a relationship constantly worrying whether I am doing the right thing, I don't need anymore negativity, I had enough of that growing up with my mother without getting it from a girlfriend'

'Well Leonard if it helps I think you are doing the right thing' said Sheldon

'Thank you Sheldon'

'If you like Leonard I'm sure we can set you up on some dates, there must be plenty of eligible ladies for you' said Howard

'Thanks but I'm not interested at the moment, I just want to concentrate on myself for now and work'

'Wow I never thought you would say that' said Howard

'Well I mean it' said Leonard

'How do you feel about Amy moving in? Asked Raj

'Very happy, I feel she will be a great roommate especially going by yesterdays Sunday dinner, hey Sheldon' chuckled Leonard

'I agree and just to let you know while we are all here, we will be having dinner and drinks here Friday night in celebration of Amy officially moving in if you would all be able to come, also Amy and myself will be taking Friday off as she wants to clean her apartment ready for the new tenant and I will be helping her'

'I can definitely come' said Raj

'Yes Bernie and I will be here also' said Howard

'Are you inviting Penny? Asked Leonard

'No I don't think that's very wise and not just on your part Leonard but for my own sake, she's been very annoying lately and like you I don't want any negativity around me when I am in a happy place'

'Thank you Sheldon. As you two will be busy at Amy's I will get all the food here ready'

'Are you sure because we can get it on the way here' replied Sheldon

'Yes its fine, don't worry about it'

'Wow since when did you two learn to compromise' asked Howard

'Since I learned just how great a roommate Leonard is' answered Sheldon truthfully

'Yeah he's even thrown away the roommate agreement!

'Shut your ass! Replied Raj and the group laughed

'Its true I realised just how much Leonard did for me and I felt that he was probably under appreciated and he deserves better than that'

'Since when did you become so mature? Asked Howard in surprise

'Well it's down to a few things but I'm very happy right now and I know it will only get better with Amy here by my side'

Howard and Raj just looked surprised at Sheldon and nodded

'How many people will be having here Friday Sheldon? Asked Leonard breaking the silence

'Just the usual and very likely Stuart and Kripke so you will need to find out what they want to eat as well'

'So Sheldon how long do you think this cohabitation will last with three of you living here' asked Howard

'Well I have plans to marry Amy in approximately 18 months to 3 years and we would like to be living in a house by then, we are both earning good money and have job security and plenty of savings but for now I know that this will work' said Sheldon

'Did you know that when they move then I will move with them' said Leonard

'You're going to live with them? Asked Raj stunned

'No but very close by, we have been looking at properties on the internet and the Shamy may start a family in years to come and they will need space and there is nothing to keep me here and I would rather by near by best friend then alone here' replied Leonard

'What about Penny? Asked Raj

'Well I see no reason why we would ever be able to get back together so I don't need to think about that

'Alright I think we have done enough chatting now lets get playing these games!' said Sheldon

_**Monday night at Amy's apartment**_

Amy had also asked Alex to come over as she got on well with her and she was happy to help with the remaining packing that needed to be done, the girls were chatting when Penny announced she had some news

'So I heard back from the director and they want me to start filming in a couple of weeks so that's finally some good news after a pretty horrible weekend'

'Congratulations' replied Amy, Bernadette and Alex at the same time

'Thank you' said Penny

'I could see you were looking happier today' said Bernadette

'Yes well I can either be sad forever over Leonard or try to move on, however hard that will be'

'Well I think this new web series will help you a lot with that and it will give you confidence in yourself again which has been lacking for a while' said Bernadette

'Well I hope so' said Penny 'I have some champagne here to help celebrate as well, I will only have half a glass though, me and too much alcohol are not good together and I also managed to sell several dozen Penny blossoms to a girl at work today who's sister is getting married next week and she wanted some, so at least I made a little bit of money out it'

'Good for you' said Bernadette

The girls finished their takeaway and began helping Amy with what needed to be finished off

_**Friday night that week**_

Sheldon and Amy had returned back to 4a to find nobody else there so Amy went to her and Sheldon's bedroom and started unpacking her essential bits and pieces and she had also got gifts for Sheldon and Leonard as a thank you for having her here, she was just finished off one suitcase of clothes when she heard Leonard come in so chose to go and give them their gifts

'Hi Leonard could you two sit down for a moment I have something for you both, it's just a little thank for you agreeing to let me live here'

'That's funny Amy because we got you house warming gifts also' laughed Leonard

'Oh well great minds think alike and all that' said Amy as she passed over a package to Sheldon

'I hope you like it Sheldon'

Sheldon quickly unwrapped the gift to find a Dr Who tardis shaped teapot

'Oh Amy I love it thank you' he got up and kissed Amy on the lips

'Your welcome Sheldon, now Leonard here is yours' as she gave him the present

Leonard did the same as Sheldon and open the gift to find a White Dr Who T-shirt with a Dalek printed on it with _exterminate_ in quotes coming from the Dalek

'Thanks Amy that's perfect' he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went to his room and brought Amy's gift

'Sheldon do you want to give her yours first or shall I give mine now'

'Let's give them both together' said Sheldon as they both handed Amy her gifts

Sheldon had got Amy a Skeleton dressing gown and Leonard had got Amy a stuffed Monkey

'You guys these are just brilliant, thank you so much' Amy was getting a little tearful for some reason

'Well we knew they were two things you really liked and we knew we couldn't go wrong with them' said Sheldon

'Come here and let me hug you both together' said Amy and they hugged just as Howard and Bernadette walked in

'What's going on here, can anybody join in? asked Howard moving towards them

'Nothings going on, just a mutual likeness for each other after some gift giving' replied Amy

Amy showed them what they had gotten each other just as Kripke, Stuart and Raj arrived

'Alright' said Raj 'Let's get this party started'

_**I wanted to end it there as I have plans for the next chapter**_

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**The next chapter will be up the weekend **_

'


	15. Chapter 15

_**Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites**_

_**The next 2-3+ chapters will be a joint collaboration of ideas and some scenes will be written by **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** so a big thanks to her **_

_**There will be a little bit of smut**_

A month had passed and the living arrangements at 4a were working out very well and everybody was happy, Sheldon and Amy still out for went for date night every Thursday as that was something they definitely were not giving up on

Penny had started filming her web series which only required 3 days a week rehearsal and filming so continued to work at the cheesecake factory for the weekend shifts which she found she didn't mind doing now that she was finally getting somewhere with her acting work, she had also been invited back into the group evenings with Leonard's approval although he was still reluctant to talk to her which Penny was sad about as she hadn't got over him

It was Saturday and Sheldon and Amy were having breakfast in the kitchen discussing their plans for the day, Leonard had gone out early to go kite flying with Howard and Raj when Amy had been thinking about something she need to discuss with Sheldon

'Sheldon do you think it would be a good idea for us to put our savings into one account rather than have them separate? This would help when we end up buying our own house'

'Actually that's a good idea, I have plenty of savings but I also have lots of uncashed cheques in my drawer that could be better off in a bank gaining interest than just sitting here, though I did use some of them for out Wisconsin trip' said Sheldon

'Ok we can go to the bank this morning then and set it up, we can still have our own accounts but anything that we don't spend we can divert to the savings account'

'I agree, Amy do you know how much you have in savings?

'Of course, I put money in there every month as I have done since I started working and I have around $100,000 in there, I have never really spent a lot unless its for essentials so I always have excess left over, also now I have this Head of Addiction Studies position that's an extra wage which I can add to the tally, I take it you know how much you have? 'Penny mentioned a while ago you keep money round the apartment and you have the uncashed cheques'

'Well I have a bit less but when I checked last week there was $80,000 but I will find out how much the cheques amount to, I no longer have money lying around the apartment since everybody found out about that, its now in the bank but I think in a year or a bit longer we probably can afford a nice size house with a small mortgage with the amount we can save to use as a deposit'

'Sheldon we are really growing up! Laughed Amy

'We are indeed' said Sheldon adding 'How's Penny coping without Leonard?

'Not great, Bernadette and I have talked about Penny possibly going for therapy to help deal with her problems, we can only help so much but she needs to do it for herself, but now she the lead part in the Bewitched web series production and she's started rehearsals and filming so that's given her a bit of confidence but she only wants Leonard which is unfortunate'

'Well she will have to get over him, come on lets get ready to go out, make sure you have all your bank details and if we have time after the bank we can go to the Zoo, we have not been for a while'

'Oh that sounds good to me' said Amy

_**Later that day**_

Sheldon and Amy had returned to the apartment just after 6pm having picked up Thai food for themselves and for Leonard and they were chatting in the living room

'I need to speak with you both and ask for your advice on something' said Leonard

'Ok what's up? Asked Sheldon

'Sheldon do you remember that girl Alice from the comic book store a couple of years ago' asked Leonard as he went to the fridge and got a bottle of water

'Yes why, what about her'

'Well I just saw her again at the comic book store, although when she saw me she looked like she wanted to leave but I managed to stop her and we got chatting and I told her how sorry I was for not mentioning I was with another woman the last time I saw her and explained how Priya had cheated on me anyway and she accepted my apology then she suggested we go on a date so I have agreed to meet her on Wednesday'

'Good for you Leonard, have you decided where you are going because I can recommend somewhere if you like' said Sheldon

'Yes the Chinese restaurant you and Amy go to every Thursday'

'Excellent choice Leonard, make sure you book a booth for more privacy'

'Well I will see about that, I don't even know where this is going to go yet, it's just a date, I'm not even sure I want to be in a relationship again so soon after Penny'

'Don't think of it as a relationship then, think of it as just two people hanging out going on dates, there doesn't need to be anything serious in it, just a bit of fun you know and you deserve that at least' said Amy

'Why are you encouraging me anyway, I know Penny still wants me but I cant go there again when I just don't trust her'

'Maybe you seeing other people will make Penny realise just what she has thrown away with you' said Amy

'Yes you might be right but thank you both for the advice, oh by the way Stuart is staying open late tonight and he's giving 20% off everything after 8pm so I will be going back again and he mentioned if tonight was a success then he would open late tomorrow as well if you want to go Sheldon' said Leonard

'Maybe I will see, I don't know yet but thank you for letting me know' said Sheldon

'No problem' said Leonard as they continued to eat and chat

_**Later that night**_

Sheldon had returned from doing his laundry and went into the bathroom only to find a very naked Amy who had just stepped out of the shower, they both stood stunned staring at each other.

'Amy! I'm so-so sorry' said Sheldon but instead of leaving he found he was frozen to the spot unable to look away from her

'Sheldon there is nothing to be sorry about but the way you are looking at me suggests you might be interested in what I have to offer' said Amy

'You know very well I am interested in you Amy' said Sheldon as he moved towards her and kissed her while gently fondling her breasts causing Amy to shiver in pleasure but she returned the kiss with flourish

'Let me just put my dressing gown on and we can take this to the bedroom' said Amy as she took his hand and led him to the bedroom

Once they got into the bedroom Amy removed her dressing gown and lay down on the bed while Sheldon stood watching her not moving, she sensed that she had pushed him too far

'Sheldon are you ok, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to, I know coitus is off the table, but we could experiment a little' Sheldon still stood staring saying nothing so Amy got up from the bed and started to put her gown back on which sparked Sheldon back into life

'Yes-yes of course I'm ok, lets just get on the bed and go slowly' said Sheldon but as he removed his tops and trousers Amy could see his arousal standing to attention through his boxers.

Sheldon lay down on the bed next to Amy and pulled her towards him and they continued to kiss while he fondled her breasts, Amy moved on top of Sheldon slowly grinding against him still kissing but then as she moved back off him her hands brushed against his erection, Sheldon shuddered in pleasure which Amy took that he liked it so she boldly put her hand inside his pants and gently fondled the tip of his erection

This caused Sheldon to make a whimpering sound, he stopped kissing Amy and buried his head in her neck and kissed her neck furiously while Amy continued to play with his erection but he could feel that he was starting to lose control, suddenly he stopped kissing Amy's neck causing her to stop what she was doing and pull back from Sheldon and look at him

He had his eyes closed and was almost frozen to the spot but he spoke the moment she pulled her hand out of his pants

'Don't stop' said Sheldon slightly hoarsely

'Sheldon are you sure because I don't want you to feel uncomfortable'

'I'm very sure, we can play around the bases but that's all for now, I am not comfortable with the losing control feeling I just had'

'That's ok Sheldon, I want you to be ok with what we are doing'

'Amy I am more than ok with most things, now come hack here and let me do something for you instead'

'What do you want to do for me? Asked Amy curiously

Sheldon's response was to pull Amy closer to him and gently suck and caress her nipple and fondle the other which made Amy moan in desire for him and she wrapped her legs round Sheldon's and they carried on like that for some time until they both stopped breathless and flushed from the pleasure

'Amy Farrah Fowler you are a vixen!

'Oh I know and that's why you love me' Amy smiled at Sheldon and put her nightie on along with her dressing gown and Sheldon redressed and they went back into main living area and cuddled on the sofa watching TV

_**Sunday Morning**_

The girls including Alex were at their regular café having breakfast, Amy and Bernadette both wanted to talk to Penny about going for therapy and getting over Leonard but didn't want to upset her but as it was Penny wanted to speak to them about something else first

'Do you remember when I spoke about making Penny Blossoms part time?

The girls nodded

'Well when I was at rehearsals I had one in my hair and the director asked me where I got it from and when I told him I made it myself along with others he said he would look into getting me a guest slot on the shopping channel as he knows one of the directors there and I can sell them myself, though not just as hair accessories but I can make brooches and belt buckles, I will have to audition first of course though'

'That's great news' said Amy

'Yes it is and that's where you three come in'

'What do you mean? asked Bernadette

'Well I need to make a selection of samples to show and I would like very much if you would take one evening this week to come to my place and help me to do them, I will show you how to do them and we can set up a production line and if its successful then I can employ people to help'

'I can help' said Alex

'Me too' said Amy

'How can you afford to employ people? Asked Bernadette

'I'm going to ask Raj to see if he would help with the finances because if this does come to something then I will need people to help me as I said and Raj would be perfect and I think this will help me a little bit to get over Leonard'

Bernadette and Amy exchanged glances wondering whether they should mention the therapy but Penny saw the look

'What? Why are you looking at each other like that?

'Ok here's the thing, do you think it would be a good idea to go for therapy to help deal with what happened with Leonard, you obviously love him but you have this urge to go find other people to be with when he's not around, its almost like you are not satisfied with what you have sometimes and you don't seem to understand just why he finished with you' said Bernadette

'Penny we are only asking you to think about it, you don't have to decide anything straight away but we thought it might help and maybe when you realise your true feelings for Leonard it will make you see just how happy you guys were together' said Amy

'I will think about it but I don't like the idea of telling a stranger all about my feelings'

'Yes but because they are a stranger they are usually a good choice to listen to your problems and to help you and they wont judge you' said Bernadette

'By the way Penny I just thought I would let you know, Leonard has a date on Wednesday' said Amy

Penny looked stunned but tried to hide it and failed

'I guess he just wants to move on and I don't blame him after the way I treated him' said Penny as she pushed her food away and started sobbing

Bernadette who was sitting next to Penny let her sob in her arms

'Look come on sort yourself out, crying isn't going to solve anything' said Alex

'I know but I miss him and even when I come over for Friday nights, he doesn't want to speak to me'

'Maybe it just takes time for these things to work themselves out' said Amy

'Do you know who he is going out with? Asked Penny

'Yes a girl called Alice he met at the comic book store' said Amy

'Oh no not her again, she and Leonard had a few dates before she dumped him because he was still with Priya, do you know he even came to me for advice on what to do before he went out with her?

'Well that's a good thing isn't it? Asked Alex

'How is it a good thing' shouted Penny as she started to cry again

'Because it showed that he valued your advice perhaps and I don't know if this makes it better but Leonard was unsure about even going on the date' said Amy

'Why? Asked Penny

'Because he felt it was too soon after you' said Amy deliberately not mentioning that she had encouraged him

'I don't want to talk about this anymore, can we just finish and go home I have some things to do and if you guys want to help me with the Penny Blossoms please come over Tuesday and Wednesday at 6pm I will be home from rehearsals by then' said Penny as she got up abruptly from the table and left the café without saying goodbye

'Oh dear that didn't go well' said Bernadette

'Maybe not but I felt she needed to know' said Amy

'You did the right thing, don't worry about it' said Alex

'But I will worry because she's my friend' said Amy

'Amy do you think Penny was worried about you and your feelings when she tried it on with Sheldon? Asked Bernadette

'Probably not but that's different circumstances' said Amy 'Anyway I have to go as well now, I will see you both on Tuesday it seems!

The three of them said their goodbyes and went their separate ways

Back at Penny's apartment she phoned Raj knowing he would have finished Paintball by now

'Hi Raj, how are you?

'I'm fine Penny, how can I help you'

'I need to see you, can I come to your apartment now if that's ok'

'Sure, see you soon' said Raj wondering just what Penny wanted

Penny arrived at Rajs apartment and began her speech about why she wanted to see him

'Do you remember the Penny Blossoms we all made years ago?

'Of course, we were up all night! Said Raj

'Well how would you like to go into business with me?

'How do you mean? asked Raj

'Well my director spotted me wearing a Penny Blossom in my hair and after chatting with me about it, is going to see if he can get me a slot on the shopping channel for me to sell them, I will probably have to audition first though and the girls have agreed to spend two nights this week helping me make samples but if this takes off then I will need more help and I will have to pay people to do them and that's where you come in because I will need the financial help from you and I will give you a share of any profits' said Penny

'How much a share were you thinking of? Asked Raj

'How about half each'

'Ok you have yourself a deal, just get back to me on how many people you will need to employ and the costs for buying all the products and I can open a joint business account to put the money in, also the website we used previously can be adapted to suit our needs so that people who see the Penny blossoms advertised can either buy online or through the shopping channel phone number'

'Oh Raj, thank you so much, you are brilliant' said Penny as she hugged him in delight

Raj went onto his laptop and brought the website up and started making changes with Penny's approval

_**Tuesday Penny's apartment**_

'Before we get started I just wanted to say thank you and I am sorry for storming out on Sunday, I just cant deal with Leonard dating at the moment, I wish there was something I could do to make him change his mind but at the moment that isn't going to happen but I have considered the therapy thing and I have made an appointment to see somebody' said Penny

'Oh Penny that is great news, you know we only suggested it to help you' said Bernadette

'Yes I know, I have ordered Chinese as a thank you for helping me tonight, it should be here in a minute' said Penny

'How many samples do you need to make? Asked Amy

'Well at least 100, I wont be showing that many at the audition but Raj has suggested setting up the website so that people can buy now and he's going to link it with advertisements that follow people who like similar things'

'Raj was happy to help then? Asked Alex

'More than happy! He's agreed to share half the profits with me and he will set up a business account to make it all legal'

The girls then got to work with Penny showing them what to do using her past experience of when Sheldon gave her tips and they had a very successful couple of days working

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Next Chapter will include Penny going for therapy and a whole lot more and will be up in a couple of days**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Thanks to **__**inwhatuniverse**__** for the whole chapter**_

_**Also it's worth mentioning that there is a moment during the session where Penny mentions Sheldon not having physical contact with anybody and of course that is all she knows because Amy has not told her anything about their developing relationship**_

Penny opened the door to the therapist's office and with trepidation approached the receptionist's window. She quietly whispered her name. She still was not comfortable coming to a therapy session, but her friends made her consider it and she knew in her heart it was the right thing to do in order to heal and hopefully win Leonard back.

"Excuse me, I am Penny and I have an 11:00 appointment" she whispered.

"Yes, please take a seat and complete these forms" said the receptionist while handing Penny a clipboard with forms to complete.

Penny nodded, grabbing the forms and looking at them briefly before turning to find a vacant chair. Finding a spot to sit that was a little more private, she began to complete the forms on the clipboard. Shortly after, her name was called and she handed the forms to the woman standing waiting at the door. She was escorted back to an office and was relieved when she realized the Dr. Alex Jamison was a female and not a male. She knew she would feel more comfortable talking about things with a female.

"So Penny, what brings you here today?" the doctor started out while quickly going over the forms that she had been given.

"Um, well I think I need some help working through some things" Penny said. She really felt uncomfortable even though the chair she was in was soft and comfy, but she honestly didn't even know where to begin.

"Okay, so what kind of things do you need to work through?" Dr. Jamison asked, now completely focused on Penny.

"Um…well…um…I have to admit, I have never been to a therapist before and really don't know where to begin" Penny stumbled.

"That's okay. We are just like anyone else. Just think of me as one of your friends. What would you tell your friend about why you came to see me today?" Dr. Jamison replied. She was a warm and charming woman. Her face showed compassion and concern, yet was full of hope and was promising.

"Okay. Well recently my boyfriend broke up with me. He and I have been sort of on and off dating for six years and I know he loves me and I love him." Penny started. Dr. Jamison didn't interrupt. She just sat, listening, and let Penny take her time to gather her thoughts and continue. She just nodded an encouragement to continue.

"Um…it was really my fault and I guess that the circumstances that led to him leaving me is the real reason I am here. I do things at times that I don't even know why I do them and they are hurtful not only to others, but to me. Also I have never really been very focused on what I want out of life." Taking a deep breath and fighting back tears, Penny continued "See he asked me to marry him a few times and each time I turned him down, hurting him deeply. It isn't that I didn't want to be with him…I love him with all my heart…but I am scared."

"What are you afraid of, Penny?"

"That's just it, I don't know. Forever seems like such a long time and I just don't like committing to anything" Penny cried. Tears fell from her face. Dr. Jamison handed her some tissues and gave her a few moments to collect her thoughts.

"Penny, you said you did things that hurt people, what kind of things?"

Penny started to sob and then blurt out in between sobs "I tried to seduce his best friend to sleep with me" sobbing more then she added "and what makes it worse it was my best friends boyfriend."

"So let me get this straight. Your boyfriend's best friend is who you tried to seduce and that same man is also your best friend's boyfriend?" Dr. Jamison asked for clarification, but was not judgmental in the slightest.

"Yes, I am such a terrible person" Penny continued to cry, going through tissues quickly.

"Penny, let's look at this a little deeper. This best friend of your boyfriend, is he someone you have always been attracted to? Could you have always wanted him instead of your boyfriend?" Dr. Jamison asked.

"Oh God no! Sheldon is…well he has never been my type. I don't find him attractive; I don't find him appealing in any sort of way. I actually think of him like a brother and a bratty brother at that. He is opposite of anything I like" Penny was horrified at the mere thought of anyone thinking she could be attracted to Sheldon. She shuddered at the mere thought.

"Yet you still tried to seduce…Sheldon, was it? Why is that? What made you want to seduce him?"

"I don't really know; that is the weird thing about it. He was being very nice to me because I was missing Leonard. See Leonard had to go off on a ship for four months to work with a project for Stephen Hawking and well, I was missing him terribly. Sheldon was being kind and tried to comfort me by bringing over some of Leonard's things for me to have with me and I mistook his being nice as wanting me. I guess I was just thinking he must want me and I was missing being held, so…" Penny was so ashamed when she was listening to her words.

"So you felt you had to sleep with him to repay him for his kindness?" Dr. Jamison was sort of at a loss as to what Penny was really thinking.

"No…I don't think so anyway. I really don't know why I tried to seduce him." Penny was puzzled herself about her actions. She had spent the past several weeks trying to sort out in her mind why she did it and she still had no answers.

"Penny, what did Sheldon do when you approached him?" Dr. Jamison put her hand softly on Penny's trying to reassure her that she was not being judged and that it was okay to talk.

"Oh God, he made it very clear he was repulsed and immediately ran from my apartment back into his. He lives across the hall from me. Leonard and he share an apartment together and I stay with Leonard sometimes so I have come to look at Sheldon like a pesky brother." Penny looked off then said "See Dr. Jamison? That is what makes no sense. I really have no interest in Sheldon physically or romantically. I really don't. So I came here to try and figure out what makes me do stupid things like that. This isn't the first time I have done stupid things that really I don't understand," Penny pleaded.

"Okay, so when Sheldon ran out, what did you feel?"

"Gross. I mean I felt like I was undesirable and hurt in a way, yet part of me way inside I think was relieved" Penny pondered as she tried to explain.

"Now that is a complex set of emotions you felt. So you were feeling undesirable, let's start with that. Why did you feel undesirable?"

"Because it was Sheldon…my God the man has only had one girlfriend ever, and that is my best friend Amy. They have been dating for three years and held hands maybe three times since. He has never done anything physical with anyone. He is sort of like a robot. But I couldn't even get him interested in me, and in the past any guy would have wanted me" Penny blurt out.

"So was your goal to make yourself feel more desirable then? When you seduced Sheldon, that is?"

"Um…hmmmm..I had not thought about it. Maybe? I know I was horny at the time because I missed Leonard and he and I have a pretty active sex life. He had been gone about a month by then and I was really missing sex." Penny blushed. She felt pretty stupid when she said that. It was as if she were some sort of sex-addict.

"I see. So you were feeling a bit amorous and wanting some affection?"

"I would say I just wanted sex and I guess I was hoping Sheldon would have sex with me and I would pretend it was Leonard" Penny sank in her chair covering her face. She could not believe how stupid that sounded.

"So you wanted Sheldon to substitute for your boyfriend. You would fantasize about Leonard while you were with Sheldon had he agreed. But then what did you expect to happen? You just told me that Sheldon was a virgin, correct? Do you think he would not have perhaps been affected had he gone through with your seduction plans? Not to mention how confusing all of this might have been for your best friend, Amy, was it?" Again, Dr. Jamison had no judgment in her voice. She was asking more for clarification and was trying to help Penny sort through her feelings.

"Oh God…Oh God…I hadn't even thought about that…oh God.." Penny literally felt ill. How could she have not ever thought about Sheldon's feelings and what it would have done to him? He was such a broken person already and she could have made him far worse. And then there was Amy. She too was broken, but coming out of her brokenness. This could put her back to a broken state. "Oh God…I am so horrible!" She covered her face with her hands. She didn't even want to be seen anymore by anyone.

"Penny, you are not horrible, but you are very confused. That is why you are here. We are going to work together to help unravel why you got confused in the first place and step through how to get you less confused and a lot more focused" Dr. Jamison confirmed.

"Do you think you can help me understand why I do what I do and fix me?" Penny asked with hope in her eyes.

"Yes, that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to help you understand what is at the root of what makes you act out like you do, and we will work on the steps to heal you so that you can feel whole again" Dr. Jamison smile with such warmth that it made Penny feel comforted.

"Thank you. I really do want to heal and be whole. I think then I can be who Leonard needs" Penny said.

"We are doing this first for you, Penny. If Leonard benefits down the road, great, but you need to want this for you and no one else first. Can you do that?" Dr. Jamison asked.

"Yes, and of course I want it for me. You are right. I shouldn't be thinking about wanting to be complete for anyone but myself right now." Penny knew she wanted Leonard back, but that the doctor was right. She first had to want it for herself.

"So you said earlier that you felt undesirable, hurt and yet deep down relieved in a way, when you had this encounter with Sheldon" Dr. Jamison started. "Can you tell me a little bit more about what you mean there?"

"Well we talked about the undesirable and I still don't understand that. Sheldon has been clear he has never desired me since I have known him. Why his rejection should make me feel undesirable is a puzzlement. I really don't want him to desire me. So perhaps you can help me understand that more." Penny looked up at the doctor to make sure she was making a note about it. "Then I was hurt because I had been rejected. I don't take rejection well and I think that whatever made me hurt was really about the lack of feeling desirable. I think they were mixed together. So maybe we can figure those out together" Again she looked up at the doctor to make sure she was making notes.

Receiving the confirming nod from the doctor she continued. "I know deep down I felt relieved. I felt like a part of me knew what I was doing was wrong and was glad he rejected me because I wanted to be faithful to Leonard. Plus just the mere thought of touching Sheldon is gross in itself" Penny shuddered.

"Okay, well Penny I think we have a lot of things that we can work on just from this alone. Perhaps as we explore these things, we will learn about other things that will help us on the journey to get you feeling whole again" Dr. Jamison encouraged.

"So what are the next steps?"

"Penny, I would like to start seeing you twice a week starting in two days. We are out of time today, but please schedule your next appointment in two days with the receptionist and we will try to sort through all of this. You are a strong and beautiful woman and a very intelligent woman. I am sure we can get to the root of this soon and then we can put together a healing plan for you so that it won't be so costly to come here." Dr. Jamison could see that Penny was young and probably not wealthy and that she probably didn't have great health insurance coverage. So she was trying to be as honest as she could. She knew Penny needed quite a bit of therapy, but she now had an understanding of what Penny needed and so would focus purely on getting to the root of the problem so they could develop a plan that Penny could work through on her own with just occasional visits to get through the healing process.

They shook hands and Penny turned to the doctor and said "Thank you. I am glad I came today. I have more hope today than I have had in a long time. I look forward to see you in a couple of days." With that she turned and head toward the front desk to reschedule her next appointment.

_**Cheer s for reading**_

_**Next chapter will be up later today or tomorrow**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Thanks for reviewing, following and favoriting**_

_**This chapter is the week after Penny's therapy session **_

_**I have added a little bit of drama/angst as I like that sort of thing**_

It was very late on Wednesday evening and Sheldon realised that Amy's birthday was coming up in two weeks time, so was looking for ideas on the internet when the perfect thing came up, he booked it then went to speak to Amy about it who was sitting on the sofa watching a monkey documentary on TV that she had recorded and sat down next to her

'Amy for your birthday, do you know what you would like to do?

Amy paused the TV and turned to Sheldon

'Well having worked so hard recently with setting up more addictions studies for the future as well as teaching some classes and my own lab work, I will be taking a well deserved day off' replied Amy

'OK that works with me, I have arranged for us to spend the weekend of your birthday at the Langham Huntington Spa hotel here in Pasadena'

'Oh Sheldon that sounds perfect, I have never been there, what days are we going? Asked Amy as she kissed him happily

'Well as your birthday is on the Friday I have arranged for us to leave here on the Friday at midday and we will be picked up by Limousine and the Limousine will also take us back here when we return on the Sunday afternoon

Amy squealed and hugged Sheldon in delight

'I also have a list of treatments here that are available so pick any that you like' said Sheldon as he passed her the list

Amy looked at the list and noticed something

'You do know there is a Gentleman's Retreat listed here as well?

'Yes I was thinking that whatever you choose to do I could have something similar done as they all appear to take up a couple of hours or more and I would be bored on my own doing nothing!'

'Well I like the Lady's Retreat spa and the |Deep Tissue Massage'

'Well you can have both' are you sure there aren't any others you might want to do? Asked Sheldon

'Sheldon this is plenty and I can see the prices and I don't want you to spend too much money on me when we are supposed to be saving for a house'

'Amy it's ok because I have a contingency fund which I always use for things like this and you are more than worth it' replied Sheldon

'Oh you are lovely' said Amy then she noticed another treatment available

'Did you know there is a honeymooners retreat here as well, maybe we can come here for a couple of days after we marry' said Amy

'Maybe we shall see, also I was going to book the room that comes as part of the spa package deal but I found a much better room than the one that was being offered and I want you to relax and enjoy yourself' said Sheldon

He showed Amy pictures of the room he had booked which had a king sized four poster bed with a separate living area and a luxury bathroom suite and patio doors onto their own private space overlooking the hotel gardens

'You really are spoiling me Sheldon and I love you for that' said Amy as she reached over to him and kissed and cuddled him

'You deserve to be spoiled and I have booked us in for Saturday afternoon tea with a selection of cakes, sandwiches and pastries, although there is a large selection of teas and hot chocolate flavours so whatever you want you just say'

'Wow what did I ever do to deserve such a generous boyfriend like you Sheldon'

'Well as I say you deserve everything, you put up with me for a long time when I was avoiding all forms of physical contact and as I have mentioned before we can now reap the rewards' said Sheldon

'I didn't put up with you in the way you say it Sheldon, I was always interested in you and I may have tried to push you along a bit but ultimately the wait has sure been worth it' said Amy as she leaned against Sheldon who put his arm around her and kissed her passionately

Sheldon stroked Amy's cheek and was looking into her eyes when he spoke

'I love you Amy and I want you to have the best birthday ever'

'I think that is guaranteed' laughed Amy as they kissed again

At that point Leonard then returned after his date with Alice, they had been out twice now and Leonard was taking things slowly, he didn't want to get hurt again

'Hi Leonard, how was your date? Asked Amy

'Very good thank you, Alice is a lot of fun and that's just what I need right now'

'Well you have been through a rough time Leonard' said Sheldon

'Did you hear that Penny and Raj have gone into business with the Penny Blossoms? She is going to go for an audition at the home shopping network but Raj has set up everything for her already and Penny is giving Raj half the profits as he is the one funding the whole thing' said Amy

'That's nice, I hope they are successful and that's very generous of Penny to offer so much profit' said Leonard

'Yes she mentioned that Raj was quick to say yes to helping and that made Penny decide it, they are looking into renting or buying space to do the manufacturing process so that everything is in place should the audition go well'

'Raj hasn't said anything to me about it but I will wish him luck when I see him at work tomorrow' said Leonard

'Leonard just to let you know 2 weeks from Friday, Amy and I will be away for the weekend celebrating her birthday so you will have the place to yourself at least until the Sunday afternoon

'Oh where are you going?

'The Langham Spa' said Sheldon

'Very nice, I hope you enjoy it' said Leonard

'We have not had Chinese and vintage video night for a couple of weeks, I think this Friday would be perfect to do it' said Sheldon

'Sure why not, I'm in' said Leonard

'I will text the others then to see if they want to come' said Sheldon

'That's fine now it's getting late so I will see you both in the morning, good night' said Leonard as he got up from his chair and walked to his room

'Do you think he's ok? Asked Amy

'How do you mean? replied Sheldon

'I don't think he's over Penny, he changes the subject a lot when her name comes up

'Well there isn't much we can do about it for now, from my very limited knowledge of relationships it would appear some people take longer than others to get over people, maybe he's dealing with it in his own way, said Sheldon

'Yes you might be right but I think in a few weeks when he's ready I might have a chat with him, as a neurobiologist I can get into peoples minds and get them to open up'

'Like you did with me, vixen! Said Sheldon

'Of course, come on lets go to bed' said Amy as she leaned over to Sheldon and kissed him

_**Friday night**_

Sheldon and Amy along with the rest of the group were waiting for Leonard to arrive with the Chinese food and were chatting in general

'So Penny do you know when your Home Shopping audition is yet? Asked Amy

'Yes it's going to be next month but thanks to Raj's great work modifying the website, we have had a quite a few sales already'

'Oh that's great' said Bernadette

'Yes Raj and I decided to splash out on some champagne to celebrate so please take a a glass, I wont be having any, we know what alcohol does to me' laughed Penny

'Penny I don't think it's a laughing matter' said Sheldon sternly

'Yes sorry you are right' said Penny

Just then Leonard walked into the apartment with the food followed by Alice

'Hi guys this is Alice, Alice this is everybody' said Leonard as he set the food down on the coffee table

The group introduced themselves to Alice including Penny who was shaken to see her there

'That's a cute flower in your hair Penny, where did you get it from? Asked Alice

'Oh I make them' said Penny trying to be polite

'Really? Could I buy one from you? I like quirky things' asked Alice

'You don't have to buy one from me, I can give you it for nothing as you are a friend of Leonard's, I have a selection of colours so whichever one you would like just say and I can go get it for you'

'Oh I don't want you to go to any trouble' said Alice

'Its fine, I just live across the hall, what colour do you want?

'I like your colour' said Alice

Penny went back to her apartment closely followed by Bernadette who could see Penny was upset

'How could he do this to me Bernie, he's bringing girls back here when we have only been apart less than 2 months and she's gorgeous'

'Penny did you really expect him to sit around moping for you? And besides it is his apartment said Bernadette

'Its like he's showing off in revenge for what I did to him'

'Oh don't be silly, Leonard would never do that and Alice seems nice enough and they have only been on two dates not counting this one'

'Yeah for now, let me just get her a blossom and we can go back'

Unfortunately for Penny it got worse when she went back into 4a as Alice and Leonard were sitting in the armchair together flirting and touching, Penny felt like she was physically in pain just from watching

'Here you are Alice, I hope you enjoy it'

'Thanks, hey Leonard why don't you put in for me' asked Alice

'Sure why not' said Leonard as he gently moved her hair away from her face and put the blossom in.

Alice stood up and showed it off to everybody while Penny quietly seethed inside, she knew that should be her hair that Leonard should be playing with and she hated herself for what she had done to him

'See' said Leonard to Amy and Sheldon 'I told you she was a lot of fun'

'Your not wrong Leonard' said Amy 'Alice do you want a drink?

'Oh beer please if you have any'

'Sure' said Amy as she went to the fridge and passed Alice a beer

The rest of the evening passed quickly with the games but Penny noticed that Leonard and Alice had gone to his room and she could hear them laughing and talking

'I'm going to need a double therapy session next week to get over this' said Penny to the room in general

'Why? Asked Amy' I thought you were dealing with certain things'

'Yes but I didn't expect this to happen, it's not fair'

'Penny nobody forced you to stay and if you want to stay then I suggest you stop moaning or go home, you know I have no time for any of this nonsense' said Sheldon

'I wouldn't expect you to understand Sheldon, you never had your heart broken' replied Penny

'Penny have you got a short memory or something because it sure looks like it, you are the one that caused all the problems you are currently experiencing so don't bring them up here and then try to blame others, Leonard is entitled to do whatever he wants without your permission' said Sheldon

'Come on Penny let me take you back to your place before things are said that can't be taken back said Bernadette

'Sheldon I'm sorry' said Penny as Bernadette dragged her out of the door

'Penny just go' said Sheldon

'Penny what the hell is wrong with you, why are you being like this? Asked Bernadette back at Penny's

'Its just hard seeing Leonard with somebody that's all and I know I was just out of order there but he seems so comfortable with her' said Penny

'Look Penny, Leonard is just having some fun with a cute girl, there is nothing wrong with that, you don't know if its going anywhere and neither does he so stop worrying about it and focus on yourself, that's what the therapy sessions are about are they not?

'Yes I have to work out my problems for me before I can focus on anything else'

'Well then, look lets go out tomorrow for some retail therapy, you have got a bit of extra money coming in now so you can treat yourself without getting into debt like before'

'Ok thank you for being a good friend'

'Your welcome' said Bernadette smiling at Penny

'I need to apologise to Sheldon, can you get him for me, I don't want to go back over there' said Penny

'Sure' said Bernadette and went to get Sheldon leaving the door open for Sheldon to come straight in which he did

'Sheldon I'm so sorry for kicking off back there, I know I caused the problems and I'm trying to deal with them but its hard'

'That's fine Penny but just sort yourself out and don't ever bring that behaviour to my apartment again' said Sheldon

'Wow since when did you become so forceful' said Penny

'Oh just since I stopped letting people walk all over me, Leonard is good people Penny and soon enough you will realise that, now if that is all then I bid you goodnight' said Sheldon as he left

_**Saturday**_

Penny rounded up Amy, Bernadette and Alex to go shopping with her and got a suit to wear for her audition and some tops she really liked and she was realizing she was glad to have the girls with her and how close she had come to losing her best friend in Amy

Leonard had agreed to meet Alice again who was coming to his apartment for the afternoon and arrived in the lobby at the same time as Amy and Penny walked in, there was a slight unease as the three of them walked up the stairs

'Hi Alice, how are you doing' asked Amy

'Yes good thanks, Leonard is going to show me his comics, he has some that I don't and we talked of doing a swap' said Alice showing them the bag she was carrying

'That sounds like fun for you then' laughed Amy 'Comics don't interest me, I leave that all to Sheldon and Leonard

'What about you Penny, do you like them? Alice noticed Penny was very quiet

'Not particularly' said Penny as they reached their floor 'I will see you tomorrow Amy for breakfast, bye Alice'

Amy and Sheldon were going out for dinner so Leonard and Alice had the apartment to themselves and Alice decided to bring up the topic of Penny

'Leonard what's the deal with Penny, I notice things and yesterday she was very polite to me but it almost seemed forced'

'We dated on and off for 6 years and I broke it off with her a couple of months ago and she's not dealing with it very well, but to be honest I didn't notice anything wrong' said Leonard

'Of course you wouldn't notice, you're a man' laughed Alice 'Why did you break up anyway?

'Do we have to talk about this? Leonard wanted to change the topic and quickly

'No but it might help to talk, 6 years is a long time to be with somebody and I know you don't get over them that quickly'

'Ok I went to work on a boat in the North Sea on a project for 4 months but Penny tried to seduce Sheldon and failed while I was away, she told me about it when I returned but she doesn't seem to think she had done anything wrong and since I finished it with her, we have barely spoken' said Leonard

'I see and am I the first girl you have dated since?

'Yes' said Leonard shortly

'Lets be honest here, you are not over her are you and she's the same'

'Alice I really don't know how I feel but the few times we have gone out I have been happy and I meant it when I said to Amy and Sheldon that we have fun together and that's all I want at the moment'

'I'm not a rebound then because if I am then maybe we should stop right now before either of us gets in too deep'

'No of course not'

'Good now lets go get these comics to swap' Alice smiled at Leonard and gave him a hug, she sensed that Leonard was vulnerable and decided not to push him anymore on the subject of Penny

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Short chapter I know but I have more things lined up for the next 2 chapters which include Penny's audition and Amy's birthday weekend**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites**_

_**I hope you are all enjoying the story?**_

It was Wednesday following week and Penny had heard some surprising news from her producer and needed to speak to Raj and phoned him once she arrived home

'Raj, Raj you need to close the website down' said Penny panicking

'Penny calm down, why do we need to do that? Asked Raj

'I happened to be talking to my producer at rehearsals and he mentioned that the producers at the Home Shopping Network will often refuse to give contracts if they know you already selling a product via the internet, they feel that people are already making a profit and therefore wont need their help'

'You didn't mention the website did you?

'No of course not, we had a break in rehearsals and he happened to mention it and told me a story of this happening to somebody he knew, I am thinking that he might know we have a website but I don't know how he would of seen it, unless it was just a gentle warning'

'Look its ok Penny I can get Howard to delete or hide the site, he's better at that sort of thing than me but he will be able to get it back easily enough' said Raj

'Oh thank you Raj, that's a big relief you know, I don't want to ruin this chance before it's even started'

'No problem, I will ring Howard now and get him to sort it out, see you later Penny

_**Still Wednesday this time with Leonard and Alice**_

Leonard and Alice were out on another date but Leonard was realizing that whilst he was happy to have fun, he knew that whatever he had with Alice was not going to go any further than that and he felt that she deserved to know

'Alice I have been thinking about what you said on Saturday and I don't think its fair to you for us to date when I am just not ready, I thought I was but you were right on Saturday when you said I am not over Penny'

'Its ok Leonard, I have had experience like this in the past and I know how hard break-ups can be, do you think you will get back with Penny'

'I really don't know, she hurt me a lot and I told her some home truths, she has to sort herself out first and prove to me that she has changed before I can even consider going back out with her again and right now its just too soon and I hope you don't feel that I have messed you about' said Leonard

'Of course you have not messed me around, perhaps we can stay friends and meet up at the comic book store occasionally'

'Sure I would like that' said Leonard

'Ok let's finish up here and go' said Alice

Outside the restaurant Leonard found it wasn't hard to say goodbye to Alice, he realised that she was understanding of her situation and he was happy that he could see her again sometime

'Goodbye Leonard' said Alice as she gave him a kiss on the cheek

'Bye Alice, see you around' said Leonard as he watched her go

_**Friday that week**_

Amy woke up on her birthday to Sheldon bringing breakfast in bed for the two of them which consisted of scrambled eggs and bacon with toast and a glass of champagne

'Good morning Amy, Happy Birthday, said Sheldon as he kissed her and passed her a pile of cards and gifts

'Thank you Sheldon' said Amy as she opened one of the cards 'Oh it's from Leonard'

'Yes he's gone to work, all the others are from our friends, I do have something for you which is hidden in Leonard's room but I will give it to you after breakfast' said Sheldon

'Ok I can open the rest later or when we return Sunday, we should eat this before it gets cold! Said Amy as she gave Sheldon a quick kiss

Once breakfast was completed Sheldon made Amy stay in bed while he took the trays of plates back out to the kitchen and went to get his gift for Amy

'Here you are Amy' said Sheldon as he walked back in the room with a large flat package and got back into bed with her and handed her a card also

'Oohh I wonder what this is' said Amy in delight as she tore the wrapping off and then when she opened it she saw that it was a life-sized framed picture of Ricky the monkey from when he was in her apartment

On opening the card she saw the same picture of Ricky had been printed on the front but smaller and inside just said "Happy Birthday Amy, love from Sheldon"

'Oh Sheldon it's beautiful, thank you'

'You're welcome Amy and if you look behind you, you will notice that I have taken down some of the prints from the wall and if you like we can put it up there'

'Oh that's a great place to put it, thank you' said Amy as she pulled Sheldon closer to her and kissed him, the kiss turned into a very long make out session before Sheldon had to stop

'Come on it's 1030 and we have to get ready to leave for 12 and I want to clear the breakfast things, I don't want to leave it for Leonard to come back to and we can have plenty of time to continue this later' said Sheldon as he untangled himself from Amy

'I love you Sheldon, thank you for the gift and for organizing this weekend'

'Your welcome Amy and I hope you have packed that lovely blue dress!

'Oh I have and I also bought another dress which I maybe will show you tomorrow at dinner'

'Am I going to get a sneak preview? Asked Sheldon

'Nope! I am going to keep you guessing' said Amy as she kissed Sheldon again and they both got ready to go out

The limousine driver had Sheldon's phone number so rang him to confirm he was outside ready at 11:55 so they left the apartment and went down to the street

'Sheldon you are really spoiling me with this lovely car' said Amy as she saw the cream limousine in the street with the driver holding the door open for her and then drove the short distance to the hotel 5 miles away

'Well as I say you deserve it and it is your birthday after all'

'Oh you got champagne as well, are you trying to get me drunk? Laughed Amy

'Of course not, there is sparkling orange juice as well if you want to mix the two'

'Sure, so what's the plan for today?

Well I have booked you in the for Deep Tissue massage at 1pm its for an hour and that will give me time to have a look around the hotel to see other things we can do, and we can have dinner anytime, how would you like dinner beside the outside pool

'That sounds perfect' said Amy as she snuggled into Sheldon's arms and quickly kissed him as they saw the limo was now approaching the hotel

The driver got out and opened the door for Amy and Sheldon to get out and Sheldon tipped him before confirming he would pick them up on Sunday at 12pm

They walked into the lobby and were amazed by the giant chandelier which hung low from the ceiling and they walked to the reception area to book in and collect their keys for The Huntington Suite and a porter showed them to their room

'Sheldon this room is as stunning as it looks in the photos! Said Amy

'I hope you enjoy it' said Sheldon 'Come on lets unpack our things and then you can go for your massage'

'I think I will need it after working so hard recently and the rabbits keep escaping but at least I get a bit of exercise running after them! Said Amy as she started putting things in the drawers and wardrobes

'You look good enough to me Amy, you don't need exercise' said Sheldon

Amy said nothing but walked up to Sheldon and kissed him then hugged him

'What was that for? Asked Sheldon still holding onto Amy

'For being a wonderful boyfriend' said Amy as she kissed him again and led him to the very large black leather sofa

'Amy what are you doing, you have not got enough time' said Sheldon

'Relax I have 15 minutes before I need to go don't worry' said Amy as she waited for Sheldon to sit down then sat on his lap and they carried on kissing until Amy had to go

'I feel very relaxed now, so much so that I think this massage may put me to sleep' laughed Amy

'Ok here is your booking slip for the massage, just go to reception and they will direct you to the right area, I hope you have fun' said Sheldon

'You too with your jaunt around the hotel' said Amy and they kissed again before she left the room

Sheldon left shortly after and found that there was a Jacuzzi along with a sauna and steam room, then he went out to the swimming pool and saw that there was a Terrace restaurant that served BBQ food, satisfied that he knew where everything was he returned to his room to finish putting away his clothing and sat down to watch TV until Amy returned

Amy returned after her massage looking relaxed and happy

'Sheldon that was fantastic, I may have to organise a weekly massage treatment now' said Amy

'If you are feeling relaxed do you fancy coming in the Jacuzzi for a while? It's not private like in Alaska but we can still go'

'Sure' said Amy 'Let's get into our swimming gear and we can go'

They arrived at the Jacuzzi to find they were the only people there, so they took their robes off which were supplied by the hotel and stepped in

'Oh this is nice and warm' said Amy

'I can make you even warmer if you like' said Sheldon moving closer to Amy and kissing her

'Its unfortunate that it doesn't have a privacy area but it's more than ok' said Amy as she kissed Sheldon again and they stayed in the pool relaxing for around 30 minutes

'Do you fancy going for a swim' asked Sheldon

'Yes come on then' said Amy as Sheldon helped her out of the little pool

They arrived at the swimming pool to find only a handful of people in the pool and some who were sunbathing on the loungers, so they went to the only quiet spot and enjoyed a little swim and sunbathe before returning to their room to shower and dress for dinner

'Amy dinner outside is casual so I will just be wearing shorts and t-shirt' said Sheldon

'Yes I think I will do the same and don't forget I will be wearing my new dress tomorrow'

'Oh I wont, it's been on my mind since you mentioned it! Said Sheldon

They walked back to the pool area and sat a table outside the terrace restaurant and waited for the waiter to come to them

They both ordered the BBQ pork ribs with a dish of roast potatoes and Caesar Salad

Sheldon brought up the topic of Leonard

'Amy I didn't tell you before but Leonard is no longer seeing Alice'

'Oh what happened, I liked her'

'Well he mentioned that on Saturday Alice wanted to know how Penny fitted into his life as she sensed there was something between them and once he opened up to her she also realized that he wasn't over Penny and they had a little chat about it, she apparently wanted reassurance that she was not a rebound which Leonard confirmed she wasn't and he was happy to date her but it got him thinking that he didn't want to mess Alice about and when they went out on Wednesday he said he couldn't date her anymore and apparently Alice was very supportive and they agreed they could be friends and meet up occasionally at the comic book store

'Was he ok when he told you this?

'Yes he seemed happy enough, he's absolutely fine at work but he just has this break-up stuff hanging over him'

'Poor thing, by the way Penny doesn't want Leonard knowing she is going for therapy until she's ready to tell him, so please don't mention it in front of him, the others know not to say anything as well'

'Ok' said Sheldon as their dinner soon arrived

'What time do we have our treatments tomorrow Sheldon?

'Well your one takes 3 hours and starts at 1030am and mine is 2 and a half and starts at 1100 so at least we will finish at the same time and after that we are booked for afternoon tea at 2pm and I have booked dinner for 7pm'

'Ok is there any entertainment provided during the evenings here?

'Not that I know of' said Sheldon

'Thank goodness for that, we can find our own way to have fun' said Amy smiling at Sheldon

'Yes, like counterfactuals which only we are good at'

'That's kind of what I meant' said Amy

They continued to eat and soon enough it was time to go back to their room and they sat on their private terrace drinking champagne and enjoying the rest of the evening before going to bed kissing and cuddling each other

When they awoke the next morning they ordered room service and decided to have a small breakfast considering what they would be having later that day

Amy went for strawberry pancakes and Sheldon had oatmeal then Amy left for her spa session which included a body and facial massage a manicure and pedicure and shampoo and blow dry

Sheldon's spa session included a body massage, facial and haircut and shave and as luck would have it, the treatment rooms were next door to each so they knew to find each other easily when they had finished

Once they were both done they went to their room to get changed and walked to the Tiffin room which was the afternoon tea room, a waiter took them to their table and gave them the menu

'What tea are you going to have Amy?

'I think I will have the Orange Jasmine, what about you?

'Vanilla bean' said Sheldon as the waiter arrived to take their drink orders

For the food they both ordered chocolate chip scones and Dark chocolate mousse profiterole sandwiches sprinkled with chocolate dust, chocolate and vanilla cookies and chocolate gateaux

'I think we may need another swim to try and get rid of all the calories' chuckled Amy when they had finished

'Right now I'm not even sure I can move! 'Do you think they will let us box up the gateau and we can take it to our room and put it in the mini fridge?

'You can always ask' said Amy

Sheldon did ask and the staff were happy to complete his request

'Come on lets go back to our room and have a rest before dinner, how was your spa session Amy

'Oh it was lovely and I have never had somebody massage my face before, so that was unusual'

'No me either' said Sheldon as they left the tea room and went back to their room

Once they got back to their room they were both feeling sleepy from all the relaxation they had been doing so they both decided to have a short nap and be ready for 6pm so they could dress for dinner

2 hours later Amy woke up before Sheldon and put on her new dress which was the same as the blue one but light red, again with the gold around the v-neck and hem of the dress and while she was in the bathroom Sheldon had woken and was putting on black trousers and a blue check shirt

Amy stepped out of the bathroom and Sheldon could see how beautiful she looked

'Amy you look delightful' said Sheldon as Amy walked towards him and he gave her a kiss and pulled her even closer to him

'Thank you so do you' said Amy as they stood in each others arms smiling at each other

They left the room and arrived at The Royce steakhouse dining room and were ushered to their table which just happened to be in the only secluded area of the room

'This is very romantic Sheldon' said Amy

'Amy you deserve to be romanced when it's your birthday, although you deserve to be romanced every day in my opinion' said Sheldon

'Well you always treat me like a princess when you take me away and I want you to know I am enjoying myself very much'

You are very welcome' said Sheldon as the waiter arrived

They both ordered Steak and Eggs Benedict with truffled potato cakes and had an enjoyable evening, after which they returned to their room and sat on the terrace again enjoying what remained of the evening and they went to bed kissing and cuddling before they fell asleep exhausted but happy

The next morning they were due to check out at 1130 so went for room service again and they both had strawberry pancakes and remembered to take the gateaux with them when they had packed up and left the room

They were waiting in the lobby when the limousine driver rang Sheldon at 1155 and they left the hotel and to Amy's surprise instead of driving back home to Los Robles, Sheldon had arranged that they go to the Zoo for the afternoon

'Sheldon this has been the best birthday I have had in a very long time' said Amy as they walked around the Zoo seeing their favourite animals

'I can think of more surprises that I would like to do for you in the future but I am happy that you enjoyed yourself Amy'

'Well this is the perfect way to end a perfect weekend' said Amy smiling at Sheldon

_**Next Chapter up tomorrow**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**This chapter was written by INWHATUNIVERSE so many thanks to her**_

Looking up at the building HSN was written on the side. Penny smiled as she entered the building and walked up to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi I am Penny and I am here to meet with Ms. Martin-Vashon. I believe we have a 1 PM appointment?"

The receptionist nodded and punched in some numbers on her phone. Through her headset she said "Penny is here to meet with Ms. Martin_Vachon." She listened for a couple of moments and then turned to Penny and said "Cecily will be down in a moment. She will escort you to Ms. Martin-Vachon"

Penny looked around the lobby of the building and then found a chair and sat in it waiting. She looked inside her case one more time and realized she was ready. She still could not believe that she was there. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Penny?" a young woman about 27 years of age came through some glass doors into the lobby. She was dressed impeccably and every hair was in place. Suddenly Penny felt a little self-conscious. While Penny had dressed up in one of her nicer black dresses and wore a blazer, she still was working through things in therapy that often would rear its head when she was in tense situations. Auditioning was very stressful under normal circumstances, but knowing that you could possibly have a business deal go down that could change the course of your life so drastically was huge.

"I'm Penny" Penny said as she got up and held out her hand. Cecily looked at it and smiled slightly and just turned and said, "follow me." They rode up an elevator to the 11th floor. She was escorted into a very large and posh office.

"Anne will be with you shortly. She is running late from a previous meeting. Just make yourself comfortable" Cecily guided while pointing Penny to a chair. "Can I get you a beverage while you wait?"

"Just some water, if you wouldn't mind" Penny replied. Suddenly her mouth felt very dry. She looked around at the beautifully appointed office. It was elegant, yet not too ostentatious. Cecily came back shortly with a crystal glass of iced water with a lemon wedge on the rim.

"Thank you" Penny smiled as she took the glass. Cecily nodded and then departed. Penny pulled out her notes that she made and went over them briefly while she waited. She was just putting them back in her bag when Anne entered the office.

"Penny?" she warmly asked, holding out her hand, offering it to Penny. "I am Anne Martin-Vachon.

"Yes, I am Penny. It is so good to meet you" Penny stood and took her hand and smiled brightly.

"Let's move over to my conference table, shall we?" Anne pointed. Penny picked up her bag and they moved over to the conference table.

"So why don't you tell me about yourself first and how you started creating your product?"

Penny proceeded to detail the start of Penny Blossoms and a little about herself. Anne nodded as she listened.

"Very impressive actually. I love these "work out of my house or work out of a garage kind of success stories." Anne confided. "It gives other creative people hope that they can eventually succeed."

"Well I hope to broaden the business, of course and do appreciate that you were willing to see me. I know that my producer had a big part in getting me here and I do not take that for granted."

"Humble and charming. Good combinations. You also have a very appealing look." Anne said as she looked Penny up and down. "Why don't you go ahead and show me your product and I would like for you to pretend you are on the show and begin to merchandize the product to the viewing audience" Anne persuaded.

Penny pulled out samples she had prepared and boxed up for the audition. They were stunning examples of her work.

Anne looked inside several of the boxes and her breath hitched. She was truly amazed and how lovely the items were that she was looking at. "Wow, these are stunning. I must admit that I am surprised. I have had a lot of people come to me with their merchandize but these are unique and lovely."

Penny beamed. "Would you like me to start?"

Anne nodded.

"Hi I'm Penny and I am here to show you Penny Blossoms. Have you ever just felt like you needed a ray of sunshine to make your day feel better? Trust me, I have had plenty of bad hair days to find reasons to need some sunshine come my way. One day when I was having a particularly bad hair day, as well as having trouble finding the right accessory to go with an outfit I had selected for an audition, I got fed up and found a few things lying around that I put together and that was how Penny Blossoms was born."

"You know when you go to bed sometimes with your hair wet and how it gets little matted spots that even after combing them out they still have that nasty little kink that just won't go away? Well that happened to me that day and so I created this" picking up a cute blossom hair accessory Penny put it in her hair "and voila! I was able to cover it up with my newly created Penny Blossom." I work at a restaurant and one of the girls there saw it and wanted to know where I got it. Then a second girl asked and one of the patrons of the restaurant asked. It got me to thinking that if that many in such a short time wanted one, maybe I should start making them for others. I began to give them as gifts and then would begin to sell them to friends and colleagues. Soon the demand got more and more."

Picking up a belt that had one of her creations on it, Penny put the belt around her waist and continued "The more I made, the more ideas I came up with and so I branched out and began making belts, purse and shoe accessories and even jewelry." She started to show each of the items.

"But there are so many times you go and find the cutest outfit but it needs a belt and you can't find one that works with it. I solved that with Penny Blossoms". The beauty of these belts is that the accessories clip on and you can change things up" Penny demonstrated by changing the accessories and belts around.

Anne was riveted at Penny's humble start and was captivated by Penny's charm. Holding up her hand to stop Penny she said "You know what, Penny? I not only want our network to merchandize your product, but it has to be you that sells it. We can work with your other job obligations to arrange timeframes for you to tape your segments, but would you be willing to market your products on air?"

"I would love to do that" Penny enthused.

"All right, I will send contracts to your agent and we will begin the negotiations" Anne smiled. "We will have to work out product production details. What kind of output can we expect and turnaround time?"

"I have just acquired in the last three months manufacturing space and assembly equipment and personnel. According to my partner, Raj, we have a very stringent quality assurance process and so we can manufacture about 10,000 blossoms a week if needed and still hold up the quality. Is that going to be enough? If not we can double the equipment and personnel?" Penny was beginning to lose a little bit of confidence.

"Oh trust me, that will be plenty sufficient to start. We first need to see how orders go, but I was hoping at least a couple hundred a week so you are in great shape for now" Anne confirmed.

After looking over calendars, the two women made a follow-up appointment that would include Raj as well as Penny's manager so they could iron out details. It was nearly 4 PM by the time Penny left the HSN building, but she skipped out so excited that she had such a wonderful prospect. Her future was beginning to look brighter by the day.

She thought about how much therapy had been helping her uncover so many things and it was like taking weights off one at a time from her shoulders. It made it so much easier for her to accomplish things in her life that she never would have even approached before. This was like icing on the cake. With that, Penny hopped into her car, grabbing her cell phone to call Raj and give him the news.

_**Next Chapter will be up in a few days**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites they are all appreciated**_

_**The following chapter is a lot different to anything else that has gone before it!**_

_**It's also going to be very long as there is a lot of stuff happening and it will be mixed throughout the story**_

It was 10am on Monday morning and Amy was working in the lab which housed the rabbits when she received a phone call from Dr Carter, the head of Neurobiology requesting her immediate presence in her office

Leaving her assistant in charge and wondering just what was wrong she walked quickly to Dr Carter's office, knocked and entered where Dr Carter was sat at her desk with her computer open on Skype and angled towards Amy with an unfamiliar face looking back at her

'Hello Dr Fowler, thank you for coming at short notice, don't worry you are not in trouble, I can see from your face you look worried'

'Thank goodness for that' laughed Amy

'The reason I asked you here is to speak to this gentleman on Skype, his name is Paul Jackson, he can explain everything to you, would you like me to stay?

'Sure' said Amy

'Hello Dr Fowler, as you just heard, I am Paul Jackson and I am head of the Special Investigations Unit at Scotland Yard here in London and if possible we would require some of your time'

'Of course, what exactly is the problem?

'Well we are currently investigating multiple murders from two suspects who have been working together and we have managed to get them into custody in the last 2 hours, the problem is that they are claiming insanity drove them to it and their solicitor is agreeing with them for now, but it's the nature of the murders that have us puzzled and whilst we have had a criminal physcologist helping us, the suspects solicitors have requested an independent neuro behavioural specialist who knows nothing about what has happened and the suspects are refusing to speak until one arrives. Also I understand that you have been present in previous investigations before

'Yes I have been asked to sit in on interviews here in America and Canada in the past, may I ask the nature of the murders?

'Yes, over a period of 6 weeks they abducted 5 women and 3 men, physically attacked them, then strangled them before dumping their bodies in various wooded locations around London, the unusual bit is that they took a different body part from each victim, kind of like a souvenir

'How did you manage to catch them?

'We had seen them on CCTV taking the final 3 victims, we had the car details as well so we were able to catch them when their car was stopped when it passed one of our unmarked cars which was fitted with a car registration alert'

'I see, so how would you like my help?

'Well we would usually only have 90 hours to question the suspects before charging them but because of the circumstances we have been given an extended time period of up to 7 days and we would like you to come here today to witness their behaviour during the interviews, also their solicitor has managed to convince them to wear brain electrodes equipment to try and prove or disprove their insanity but between you and me Dr Fowler, I think that's just an easy excuse'

'You want me to come over today? Asked Amy surprised

'Yes, we have provisionally booked you on the first available flight from LAX to Heathrow which leaves at 330pm your time and you will arrive our time 930am tomorrow, we really would like you to join us as you have been recommended by several experts and your boss speaks very highly of you'

Amy turned to her boss

'Dr Carter is that ok with you that I go?

'Yes of course, you need to leave immediately if you want to do this, so you have time to go home and pack, I will go to your lab and inform your assistant of what's happening'

Amy turned back to Paul

'If I come over how long would you like me there for?

'Well we will begin interviewing them at 12pm tomorrow once you arrive, we will be interviewing them in fixed time periods so if you could stay for the whole process of that, also we may need you to come back for the trial in the even of them pleading not guilty so that you can prove your credentials to the judge, defence and prosecution'

Amy was thinking hard but decided she had to do this

'Ok I will agree to do this'

'Excellent everything is paid for so don't worry about that, we have booked you a taxi to take you to LAX at 1pm so when you get to LAX go straight to the British Airways first class lounge and they will have your boarding card and ticket ready for you and I will meet you personally at Heathrow, I will also email you the details of the case so far'

'Thank you, oh but what about accommodation?

'Well tomorrow night we will finish questioning them at 6pm and you can come back to my house that I share with my wife, the Met Police have a flat available for overseas assistants but its not quite ready, although it should be the day after'

'Ok Mr Jackson I shall see you tomorrow then'

'Sure but please call me Paul and have a safe trip'

Amy then said a quick goodbye to Dr Carter and went back to her office picking up her laptop and cell phone to phone Sheldon

'Sheldon I need to see you urgently I am driving over to you now'

'Amy what's the matter, you sound a bit stressed'

'I am stressed! See you in a few minutes'

Amy arrived at Caltech and went straight to Sheldon's office where he was working and Alex was also present

'Alex would you mind leaving us for a few minutes please' asked Sheldon

''Sure no problem'

'Thank you Alex' said Amy smiling at her

'What's the matter Amy?

'I have to go to London today for approximately a week, maybe more' said Amy as she explained everything to Sheldon

Sheldon of course had some concerns

'Amy I don't think it's safe for you to be around murderers!

'Its ok because I wont be in the room with them, there is a two way room with blackout windows from their side and speakers so I will be able to see and hear everything, the investigators will attach the electrodes to the suspects so I wont be anywhere near them' said Amy though secretly she knew she may have to introduce herself to them but she wasn't going to worry Sheldon about _that!_

'Ok that's a relief but what time is your flight?

'330pm so I really need to get back and pack and a taxi has been booked to take me to the airport'

'Well you make sure that you text me when you arrive and Skype me in the evening when you get to where you are staying

'Of course I will'

'Do you want me to come home with you and help?

'No its fine but thank you'

'I love you Amy, promise me you will be careful?

'I love you too Sheldon and I promise you I wont get hurt in anyway'

Sheldon escorted Amy back to her car where they spent a few minutes in the car kissing and cuddling before Amy took off quickly wheels screeching

Sheldon walked back to his office feeling sad that he would not see Amy for over a week but when he arrived back he found President Siebert in there along with Alex

'Ah Dr Cooper there you are, I have been looking for you, Alex said Dr Fowler was here?

'Yes she was' said Sheldon as he walked to his seat and sat down despondently which President Siebert noticed

'Is everything ok Dr Cooper? Asked Siebert

'No not really, Amy has had to go to London today at short notice and she will be gone for at least a week maybe more' said Sheldon as he explained the situation

'Well that may help with what I am about to ask you'

'I doubt it but do carry on'

'Ok Professor Stephen Hawking has requested that you go over to Cambridge for Wednesday and Thursday and University College London on Friday and Monday to give the students and physicists a wider knowledge of the work you have been doing, he speaks very highly of you Dr Cooper, so it would be silly to turn down a great opportunity like this'

'You want me to go this week? Sheldon was surprised

'Well tonight if you can, the earlier the better, it's a long flight so you will need to be rested, Professor Hawking will accompany you to both universities and you will be able sit in on his lectures and he will introduce you and the excellent work that you have been doing, I have the itinerary here for you to peruse to get you up to scratch on things'

'Ok that sounds like something I would be interested in'

'Good, there is one other I will ask you to do, as President of the University its my duty also to have a small percentage of overseas students, so you will be given brochures of Caltech and I would like you to extol the positives of coming here to be educated'

'Fine' said Sheldon

'We have organised accommodation for you to stay in when you are in Cambridge, do you know where Amy is staying in London?

'Yes she mentioned she would be staying in a flat the Met Police have provided for her, so I could probably stay there when I am in London

'That suits us very well Dr Cooper'

'Well at least I will be able to see Amy, even if she's not going to be there very much'

'The return flight we can change to open ended if you would like to fly back with her' said President Siebert

'Really? Asked Sheldon in surprise again

'Yes, since you have been granted Tenure and you are now living with Amy, there has been a notable change in you and we all like happy Sheldon so we would like you to have an extended stay, think of it as a reward'

'Thank you' said Sheldon as he rose from his seat and shook President Sieberts hand

'I will leave you in peace now and you can leave anytime you like today' said President Siebert as he handed over the itinerary

Sheldon looked over the itinerary and saw that he would be leaving on the 11pm flight from LAX landing at Heathrow at 3pm UK time and he would be driven by Professor Hawkings personal chauffeur to the hotel he would be staying at and he would be having dinner with Professor Hawking that evening also'

'Alex could you call Leonard and ask him to come here please'

'Sure'

Leonard arrived a few minutes later and Sheldon informed him of the situation and that Amy was away also

'Sheldon this a good thing, you can show off your talents and you will be thinking so hard about that, you wont have time to miss Amy and you will see her on Friday evening anyway'

'Yes you are probably right, I just need to phone her now, she will probably be on her way to the airport'

'Would you like me to drive you home? I have some work I can do from home anyway so its not a problem, let me just secure my lab and I will be with you shortly' said Leonard

'Yes sure, that works thank you Leonard'

'Alex I shall see you when I get back, you can have the week off if you like as I wont be here, you will still be paid'

'Thank you Dr Cooper, I might just go now for the rest of the day if that's ok?

'Sure no problems, said Sheldon as he packed up his equipment and video phoned Amy while he was waiting for Leonard

Amy picked up on the first ring

'Hi Sheldon, are you ok?

'Yes, I have been asked to go to Cambridge and London this week so I will be able to see you after all'

'Oh what days will you be there?

'I won't be in London until Friday so I can stay at your place if you like'

'Of course I like, though I won't be there till after 6pm

'Ok, are you close to the airport yet?

'Almost, what time is your flight?

'My flight is at 11pm tonight and I will land at 3pm tomorrow afternoon, so I know we agreed that you text me when you land and I still want you to do that even though I will be on the plane and I will do the same for you'

'Ok it's likely I may not be able to respond straight away because of being in the interviewing process'

'Well I look forward to speaking to you anyway and we can skype in the evening'

'Of course, oh we are just arriving at the airport now Sheldon, I will speak to you tomorrow'

'Ok love you Amy, goodbye

'Love you too Sheldon, bye' said Amy as she blew him a kiss and they both hung up

Leonard arrived and they drove home, where he dropped Sheldon off before going to pick up takeaway for lunch, he thought he would give Sheldon a bit of peace while he was packing

Amy arrived at LAX and followed her instructions to go straight to the British Airways desk where one of the service agents checked her details on the computer, printed out her boarding card and escorted her to the first class lounge, thanks to only having a couple of hours notice, she only had 30 minutes until the flight would be boarded so settled down on one of the leather sofas and ordered a coffee from a passing waitress

Amy boarded her flight and found that not only was she in first class but she had a seat that could be turned into a bed, she knew she would have to sleep at some point on the flight as she was going to have possibly a traumatic few days listening to the interviews though she knew she would be able to deal with it

Amy arrived at Heathrow and saw that Paul Jackson had a sign up with her name on it as she entered the arrivals hall

'Hi Paul, thanks for meeting me'

'Not a problem Dr Fowler, would you like a hand with your bags?

'No it's ok and please call me Amy'

'Ok I have a car waiting outside and it wont take long to get to Scotland Yard, how was your flight?

'Oh it was fine, I slept a lot of it though'

'Good because what you will hear in the next few days is very disturbing, we will have some time when we get back to have a quick chat, but did you read the email I sent you with everything?

'Yes even the pictures of the deceased, I noticed all the injuries are the same, that is consistent with somebody trying to prove their uniqueness, I have been on disturbing cases before so I will be fine' said Amy

On the journey to Scotland Yard Amy sent Sheldon a short text telling him she had arrived and to text her when he landed

They arrived at Scotland Yard shortly after 1030 and went up to Paul's office where his assistant and 2 other investigators were waiting

'Amy I like to introduce the people that will be interviewing the suspects, this is Graham Johnson my assistant, Mark Davies and Georgia Carpenter'

All of them shook hands and they exchanged small talk before Paul said they would be leaving to go to the prison where the two suspects were being held

'Amy I should tell you know the names' said Paul as he handed her the mug shots

'This one here is Jason Barker and this one is Gary Roberts'

'Thank you, I take it I will need to meet them personally?

'Yes, that's not a problem is it?

'No not at all, it will be interesting to get into their minds, that's the greatest part of my job' said Amy as the others noticed her excitement talking of her job

When they arrived at the Prison, they were met by the suspects Solicitors in the interview area

'Amy this Alan Foster, he will be sitting in with Jason Barlow and this is Richard White who will be sitting with Gary Roberts, Alan and Richard this is Dr Fowler she is a leading specialist in her field'

Both the solicitors shook Amy's hand

After a short wait of around 15 minutes the two suspects were led into separate interview rooms where Amy could see both of them

They both requested to see Amy before they would speak so Amy quickly introduced herself and the interviewing process began at 12pm

At 3pm they had a short break and Amy turned to Paul

'Despite their interrogations they are both speaking very robotically, like they are attempting to remain aloof and detached from the situation'

'What do you think that means? Asked Paul

'Well I think your hunch is right, they are not insane, they are just pretending to be but the electrodes will measure their brain waves and the results wont lie about that, I have seen plenty of insane people in my field and these two are as sane as you and I'

'Ok we can wait till after the interviewing process to see that, I take it you are still happy to stay for the duration?

'Of course, also it just so happens that my live in boyfriend was also asked over here at short notice to meet Professor Hawking at Cambridge and he will be in London on Friday'

'Oh what does your boyfriend do? Asked Paul

'He's a theoretical physicist at Caltech and he's even more of a genius than I am' replied Amy as she showed Paul a picture of him on her phone

'Very nice, have you been together very long?

'Yes we met on a blind date set up by his friends just over 3 years ago and we started living together 3 months ago, we share the apartment with his roommate, may I ask how long you have been with your wife?

'Oh a very long time, we have been married for 20 years but together for 25 and we have 3 children, the youngest still lives at home and she can be a very stroppy teenager'

Just then the interviews started back up so they carried on listening to the details of what the men did to their victims, it was a laborious process as both of the men talked in great detail of what they did to their victims

At 6pm they finished and Paul and Amy were driven home to Paul's house in Kensington by Paul's personal driver

Amy had received Sheldon's text message saying he had arrived and that he would Skype her at 8pm that evening

Amy looked up from her phone to find they were parked in the driveway of a beautiful Georgian mansion

'This is where you live? Asked Amy

'Yes, we have lived here for 10 years now'

'Wow it's stunning, we get a lot of big mansions in America but nothing like this, I love the colour of the walls and the building has a lot of charm about it'

'Thank you, where do you live in Pasadena?

'Oh we live in a 2 bedroom apartment but we are looking to buy a house next year, my boyfriend is very practical and he has said he would like us to be living in a house before we are married and I agree'

'Are you engaged?

'No but he has indicated to me that he will propose in the near future and I believe him'

They entered the house and Paul introduced Amy to his wife

'Amy this is my wife Hannah and this young lady who has just walked down the stairs is my daughter Poppy

'Nice to meet you both' smiled Amy

'You too Amy, I have dinner ready if you are all hungry? Said Hannah

Everybody replied yes and Amy mentioned that she would be skyping with her boyfriend at 8pm

'Oh let me just show you your room for the evening' said Hannah as she led Amy upstairs to the guest room which had a small balcony overlooking a garden so long Amy couldn't see the end

After dinner Amy was in her room at 7:55pm with her laptop on and ready for Sheldon to skype her, when the familiar ring started up

'Hello Sheldon, how are you?

'I am good Amy, I just had dinner with Professor Hawking'

'Oh that's nice'

'Amy he has asked to meet you when he comes to London on Friday with me and I told him you would not be available until after 6pm and he says that's fine and he has booked us in a restaurant for 730pm'

'Oh wow he really wants to meet me?

'Yes he's heard a lot about you from the biologists at Cambridge, how was your first day in the interviews?

'Oh it was fine, a lot of gruesome stuff though which I shall keep from you as I know you don't like that sort of thing'

'Thank you Amy!

'Are you at the hotel now?

'Yes I arrived a few minutes ago'

They continued to chat for another hour before they both had to sign off, the time difference was getting to them and they agreed to Skype again tomorrow evening at the same time

Sheldon had only seen Stephen Hawkings lectures on you tube before so he was beyond thrilled to see it happen in person

At the end of Professor Hawkings lecture, he introduced Sheldon as one of the leading Theoretical Physicists in America and invited the 1st year grad students to ask him questions and for Sheldon to show them some of his work, Sheldon remembered the extra request from President Siebert and he had already asked Hawking if it was ok to do so and he had said yes

'Before you all ask me anything, I have some brochures of the University I work at and we are currently recruiting overseas students to start the new academic year, I will hand these out and if anybody is interested I highly recommend that you apply' said Sheldon

Many of the students asked him about his work and he realised Leonard was right, he was so busy giving answers and demonstrations that he didn't have time to miss Amy

When the students left, Professor Hawking congratulated him on the success of the day and told him tomorrow he would be speaking to 2nd year students

On Thursday Amy noticed that the two men had stopped speaking robotically and aloof of everything and were acting normally and the previous days electrodes had indicated that they were clearly not insane and she told Paul this, their solicitors however were not convinced

'Dr Fowler are you sure? They both asked

'Very, I have noticed their behaviour from yesterday where they were pretending and today they are acting normal, like they have forgotten they were pleading insanity, it is clear to me they knew exactly what they were doing, the only thing we don't know is why they did what they did'

'I don't even think they know why they did it' said Paul

Both the solicitors looked like they were fighting a losing battle with the insanity plea

At the end of the day Paul's driver drove Amy to the flat she was going to be staying at and it too was in Kensington she noticed it was close to Paul's house and the flat was beautifully furnished and the fridge had even been stocked with essentials, Amy knew there was a supermarket nearby so went off to get to some food for dinner

Thursday passed and proved to be another success for Sheldon and he was looking forward to seeing Amy on Friday

On Friday Amy met Sheldon at the restaurant they were booked into and she threw herself into his arms when she saw him

'Oh I've missed you Sheldon' said Amy as she kissed him

'Me too Amy' said Sheldon as they had a very long cuddle

'Amy this is Professor Hawking'

'Hello Professor Hawking' said Amy

The three of them had a great time talking of the success of Sheldon in Cambridge and London and Professor Hawking had said he would be speaking with President Siebert personally to praise Sheldon

Outside the restaurant Sheldon hailed a passing taxi and Amy gave the driver directions of where her flat was and they arrived back within 15 minutes

Sheldon was also impressed with the luxury of the flat

They both walked to the leather settee and sat down close to each other with Sheldon's arm around Amy

'Amy will you be sitting in on the interviews over the weekend? Asked Sheldon

'Yes I am 100% convinced that they are not insane but the whole process is something that I find fascinating so I will be back, though it looks like they will have enough to charge them by tomorrow so we will have all of Sunday to spend together and I think we can fly back Tuesday after your day at UCL on Monday

'Would you come to watch on Monday?

'Of course I will' said Amy

'Thank you' said Sheldon as he turned Amy towards him and kissed her gently on the lips, Amy responded with much enthusiasm

'Come on lets go to bed, we will be more comfortable there and I am all out of sync with the time difference this week' said Amy

They reached the bedroom and Sheldon quickly unpacked his case and got into bed with Amy and they resumed kissing and fondling each other until exhaustion overcame them

On Saturday Amy was right in that the interviews finished early and the two men were charged with the murders of 8 people and they were whisked off to court for a short hearing where they both pleaded guilty which meant no trial and they were sentenced at the judges discretion to life in prison with a minimum term of 40 years before Parole could even be considered

The judge on hearing that the two men had attempted to plead insanity and were foiled, scolded the men for wasting time and praised Amy for coming over at short notice

Paul had invited Amy and Sheldon out to dinner with his wife, Paul's assistant and the two officers who interviewed the convicted men to celebrate and they were treated to Sheldon enthusing about his work which none of them except Amy understood

Amy was also told she could stay in the flat until she left on Tuesday

On Sunday Amy and Sheldon left the flat early to go sight seeing and they went to the science museum in Kensington, then they went to Harrods before going off to Trafalgar Square and standing outside Buckingham Palace taking pictures of everything before returning back to the flat

On Monday Amy found Professor Hawkings lecture fascinating and she was very proud of Sheldon when he was speaking of his work and to her surprise Professor Hawking had arranged for her to give a demonstration of her work in the afternoon to the biology students and to tell them of her time in London.

On Tuesday Paul had arranged to meet Amy and escort her and Sheldon to Heathrow and they made tentative arrangements for her to come back if she was needed again in the future and if Paul and his wife ever came to America to meet up as well

Their flight was at 1pm and again they were both booked into first class and arrived back at LAX just after 6pm local time

Sheldon phoned President Siebert to tell him they were back and he requested to see Sheldon before he returned home, so Amy went with him, Sheldon also text Leonard to see if he could pick them up from Caltech

They arrived at Caltech and went to President Sieberts office

'Dr Cooper welcome back and hello Dr Fowler, I have heard from Professor Hawking and he told me he was very impressed with you Sheldon and thanks to you we have had 45 enquires from the British students with at least 15 of them being very serious about coming here'

'Well I was happy to do it and it helped that Amy was there as well'

'Yes I'm sure, Amy would you ever consider going with Sheldon if he has to do this sort of thing in the future?

'Well obviously it would depend on my workload, I am very busy at UCLA but I would be able to support Sheldon if required'

'What's going on President Siebert? Sheldon had gone from being excited about his success to slightly worried

'It's possible that we may ask you to go round the Universities of Europe in May every year to try and recruit overseas students and also give demonstrations of your work, how would you feel about that?

'I don't want it to interfere with my work here but I would be happy to do so under the right conditions of course'

'I take it you mean by pay rise, Dr Cooper'

'That was in my mind yes'

'Well you will be getting one and also you won't have to pay for anything when you do go'

When would you like me to decide this?

'You have two weeks to decide so that we can plan which universities for you to go to'

'Ok I shall let you know then, goodbye Professor Siebert

'Goodnight Dr Cooper and I expect you back in the office on Thursday, you can take tomorrow off to recover'

'Oh thank you' said Sheldon as they left the building

Leonard was waiting for them outside and he drove them home where the Shamy chattered excitedly about the future

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**Next Chapter up in a couple of days**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Hope you like the story so far, there is still a long way to go though so I hope you will all continue to read and review**_

Amy also returned to work on Thursday and went straight to Dr Carter's office to report back

'Dr Fowler, welcome back I trust everything went well?

'Yes it was true that the defendants were making up the insanity lies, they pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 40 years in prison'

'That's good, interestingly enough I heard from the head of neurobiology at UCL that you gave a lecture of sorts there, how did that come about?

'Oh it just so happened that Dr Cooper my boyfriend was invited over by Professor Hawking to Cambridge and UCL, we all went out to dinner and he asked me, I hope that is ok?

'Yes of course, Its always good to have representation abroad, I was just surprised when I heard, I also heard on the grapevine that you may be helping Dr Cooper out in the future if he takes advantage of the offer he has been given'

'Well I don't know about that, I was asked and I said I could help depending on my work load'

'Dr Fowler I do hope you are not going to abandon us to go and work at Caltech?

'No of course not' Amy was surprised at the question

'Good because we are very impressed with your work here and we would hate to lose such a talent like you and you will be well rewarded by staying'

'You have my word that I am very happy here and the thought had not even crossed my mind'

'What will you do if Dr Cooper takes the position and he asks you to go with him?

'Well I could use some of my holiday, providing its ok with you of course, also there are no addiction studies planned for May'

'Dr Fowler I will sanction that for you, you have worked very hard since taking the Head of Addiction Studies and I think that it is very good that you still pitch in with the work in the lab and that has also been noted by your staff who all speak highly of you'

'Oh really?

'Yes, you know me Dr Fowler I don't lie about such things! Now I shall let you go back to your lab and we shall speak another time'

'Sure and thank you Dr Carter'

'No Problem'

Meanwhile at Caltech, Sheldon was the talk of the University thanks to his success at recruiting overseas students and how impressed the British physicists were with him with his ease at answering questions and demonstrating his work to the students

Leonard had already given him advice about taking the overseas recruiting position when Sheldon asked him about it

'Sheldon the way I see it this will only enhance your career, the University is happy with you, Stephen Hawking was impressed with you, you cant get much better than that, you can't go wrong at the moment'

'Yes you might be right, It's something I will think about, I will need to find out just how much time they want me to take away from the University before I take it'

Sheldon went to see President Siebert about it

'If I take this position how much time away will I take?

'Well we are looking at 1 week maximum, perhaps your lovely girlfriend would go with you, and you can have a little holiday following it'

'I will ask but she has her own career to think of'

'Do you think she would be interested in coming to Caltech to work?

'No and she has already text me today saying that her boss thought she was going to abandon them but she is very happy at UCLA, I don't think even I could persuade her but I wonder why her boss asked her that?

'That was down to me, I know her personally'

'I see' Sheldon realised he shouldn't of been surprised at that

'Before you say yes, may I suggest you talk with Amy about it, we believe you are an asset to the University Dr Cooper and we would like to use that to both our advantages'

'How do you mean?

'I have some ideas but they will only come to fruition if you agree to do this'

'Are you going to tell me these ideas?

'No I need to speak to the board first'

'Fine' said Sheldon as he went back to his work

Later back at the apartment Sheldon and Amy were discussing their day while Amy was cooking dinner which was Sheldon's favourite meal and Sheldon was working on his laptop, they had decided to have date night at home and Leonard was out

'Amy I think something strange is going on'

'How do you mean?

'Well you have already had your boss ask if you are leaving and today Siebert said he had a plan and would ask the board regarding me accepting this position'

'Dr Carter said I could have a holiday to come and help you if you do go away in May, it's like they are going out of their way to please us'

'I'm sure we will find out soon, do you think I should go for it Amy?

'You know I will support you if you do, I think you did an excellent job in the UK and if they are offering you a pay rise as well then I would take it, Caltech are obviously impressed with you at the moment so you should milk it'

'Yes that's kind of what Leonard said, you both have some very good points and whilst I am reluctant to spend too much time away from my own work it would be silly not to take an opportunity'

'I know you are not keen on teaching but the students really enjoyed your way of talking to them and demonstrating your work'

'Hmm I will think on it over the weekend and give my decision on Monday' said Sheldon 'Oh here is an email from Siebert requesting my presence in his office tomorrow at 1pm, maybe they have had their chat about whatever it is he was thinking of but wouldn't tell me'

'Well don't worry about it for now, dinner is ready'

_**The next day**_

Sheldon went to Siebert's office at 1pm

'Dr Cooper thank you for coming but we wont be staying, come with me'

'Where are we going?

'You will see when we get there'

'Can you not just tell me? I don't like surprises'

'Don't worry I think you will like this one' said Siebert as he picked up a folder and his laptop and left the office towards the exit, Sheldon followed him to Siebert's car

Sheldon recognised where they were going once Siebert set off

'Why are we going to UCLA?

'As I said I will tell you when we get there and don't even think about phoning Dr Fowler to tell her either'

Sheldon looked at him and was thoroughly confused

They arrived at UCLA and were directed to a conference room which was empty but a few minutes later Dr Carter and Amy arrived

'Sheldon what are you doing here? Asked Amy in astonishment

'I've no idea, he wouldn't tell me anything' said Sheldon pointing at President Siebert

'Dr Carter?

'President Siebert will explain'

'Ok the reason I have brought you here Dr Cooper and Dr Fowler is tell you the plans I have for you should you decide to accept our offer' said Siebert

'I'm listening' said Sheldon as Amy nodded

'Dr Carter and I feel that it would be beneficial to both universities if and when Dr Cooper goes away in May for the primary job of recruiting overseas students you could both teach and demonstrate to the students your work, you are both at the top of your fields and we feel that we would get excellent representation abroad, both of our boards have agreed to this and Dr Cooper as a sweetener we will allow you to take a few days holiday afterwards all expenses paid, I hear you have always wanted to visit CERN so we have arranged that as well'

'Amy what do you think? Asked Sheldon

'I would like more details about which Universities we will go to but other than that I am in'

'So far we have 3 universities lined up with St Andrews in Scotland, Barcelona and Geneva and one other to confirm which is in Amsterdam, I think that is plenty enough, they are Universities that have gained excellent results in the last few years'

'President Siebert I think I can say your sweetener worked, I have wanted to go to CERN for years' said Sheldon excitedly bouncing in his seat

'Excellent now that you have both accepted we will work on the plans and a contract for you both to do this every year, also Dr Cooper we have a funding event in 2 weeks time which was already planned and we can now include this project, so we would like you both to attend' said Siebert

'Whilst I am not keen on attending such things which I feel are beneath me, I suppose on this occasion I can go' said Sheldon

'Yes me too' said Amy

'Good you are both free to go' said Siebert as Amy and Sheldon left and went to her office

'I hate benefit evenings Amy, it's like we have to beg'

'Yes I know, I am kind of lucky that I have a private benefactor in Faisal but I still have to go to these events'

'Faisal still funds you?

'Yes is that a problem?

'No I was just surprised, you have not mentioned him since that time on Skype so I assumed he was no longer around'

'Well I have to ask him at the start of each year and he hasn't refused yet, If I asked him I could get him to make a donation to the upcoming benefit evening, he is very interested in all sciences'

'Amy the only thing he is interested in is you, I take it that you are both still "technically" engaged' said Sheldon getting slightly agitated

'Sheldon there is nothing for you to worry about, you are the one I'm with and Faisal is useful for funding that is all' said Amy

'So nothing romantic there then?

'Not at all, come here you silly thing' said Amy as Sheldon moved closer to him and she kissed him with such passion that he found he was breathless afterwards

'There does that show you how into you I am' asked Amy

'Perhaps, maybe you could show me again just for fun' said Sheldon flirting with her whilst stroking Amy's face

'Oh I can do more than that' said Amy as Sheldon pulled her closer so she could feel his arousal and they kissed until there was a knock at her door, it was Siebert

'Dr Cooper are you ready to go? Siebert noticed they both looked flushed but said nothing

'Yes, Amy see you at home' said Sheldon as he kissed her goodbye

When Sheldon got back to Caltech he went straight to Leonard's lab to talk

'Thank you for the advice Leonard, I have said yes to the position and Siebert has thrown in a trip to CERN as well' said Sheldon as he explained everything else

'Your welcome Sheldon, I wish you luck, I take it everybody is coming over for games night tonight?

'Yes why not, I haven't had time to think about anything since we got back so this will be a good opportunity to goof around and forget about work for a few hours'

'I will text everybody to confirm then' said Leonard

'We can order the food before we leave and pick it up on the way home, that can save time' said Sheldon

_**Later that day at the apartment**_

Amy had arrived home first and had been home for only a few minutes when Penny knocked and Amy let her in, it was the first time they had been able to get together since Amy had got back from London

'Hi Ames how was your trip'

'Yes it was very successful and Sheldon and I have some news for everybody when they get here, how's your work going?

'Yes its all great I am enjoying the filming, it's like I have found something I like doing at last

'That's great' said Amy as Leonard and Sheldon walked in with boxes of Chinese food

'Amy can you clear the coffee table please' asked Sheldon

'Sure'

'So Leonard how are you? Asked Penny she was feeling a lot more confident now that she was having regular therapy sessions, Leonard however wasn't up for having a chit chat with Penny

'Fine' said Leonard as he sorted the food out for distribution

'Is Alice coming today? Asked Penny unaware of the situation

'No'

'Leonard what is the matter that you can't even speak to me properly?

'Penny whilst I am happy for you to spend time here with your friends it doesn't mean I am ready to have a jolly chit chat with you, you hurt me and I don't forget things like that easily'

'I thought you said we could be friends though' asked Penny, she was feeling some of her confidence going

'Yes I said in time'

'Penny come with me to my room a moment' said Amy trying to defuse the tension

Sheldon who was standing next to Leonard patted his shoulder in sympathy,

'I'm fine Sheldon but it's still raw you know'

'Do you want me to ask her to leave?

'No I guess in time we will be friends and I don't want to stop her being around her friends'

'You are good people Leonard' said Sheldon as Leonard nodded back

'Penny you can't push him like that, he said he would be ready in his own time and just the fact that you are here is probably hard for him'

'Do you think I should go home?

'No you still have us girls to cheer you up and we can hang out in here if you like'

'No let's go back out there'

'By the way Penny, Leonard and Alice are no longer seeing each other that's why she's not here tonight, though they are going to be comic book store buddies by all accounts'

'Oh do you know why?

'Yes but for Leonard's sake I am saying nothing ok'

'Fine'

Everybody by now had arrived and Sheldon told them their news, they all congratulated them although Raj had a question

'But Sheldon you hate giving classes at the University how are you going to cope with doing it abroad' asked Raj

'Well I wont be alone and I will have a bit of practice by then anyway and Amy will be with me and she brings out calmness in me'

Everybody looked at Amy who blushed at the compliment

'Oh Raj by the way we have our appointment to meet HSN next week Thursday to sort out the contracts' said Penny

'OK I will print out the business plan as well to take with us'

The group got on with playing games but after they all left Amy and Sheldon were in bed when she remembered a previous conversation about CERN

'Sheldon do you know you said you wanted to marry at CERN do you think that will happen when we go in May?

'Amy I think we may have to rethink getting married there, it's not practical or fair for all of our families and friends to travel that far and

'So you want to get married here instead?

'How would you feel about Texas? My Meemaw is too old to travel and I realise how much I want her at the wedding'

'Sure that works' said Amy smiling at Sheldon

'By the way Siebert spoke to me this afternoon and said all the details about the trip will be confirmed next week'

'Good, now perhaps we could carry on with what we were doing in my office earlier' said Amy

'I think you may have to show me' said Sheldon pulling Amy closer to him as she kissed him

_**Next chapter up in a few days**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Leonard POV**_

It was Sunday afternoon and since Leonard had seen Penny on Friday and been snappy with her he had been unable to sleep properly, he couldn't stop thinking about her and their time together and everything seemed to be going wrong, his car had refused to start, then his laptop was randomly freezing while he was working on it and then just now as he was helping Amy with the Sunday dinner he had managed to drop all the vegetables and smashed the dish they were in, feeling completely frustrated Leonard left everything on the floor and stormed off to his room leaving Amy and Sheldon gawping at him in surprise

'Sheldon can you clear up the mess and I will speak to Leonard he's obviously upset and I think I will be able to help' said Amy

'Are you sure?

'Yes'

Amy walked round to Leonard's room and finding the door slightly ajar walked in to find Leonard sitting on the edge of the bed breathing into his asthma inhaler

Sitting next to him Amy let Leonard calm down for a few minutes before speaking

'Leonard if you want to talk I am happy to listen and help'

He looked at Amy for a long time before answering

'Maybe it will help, I guess I can't keep bottling things up'

'Is this about Penny?

'How did you guess?

'Well I am a neurobiologist I understand how the brain works and how it deals with emotions and I can also see that you are exhausted from lack of sleep thinking about Penny all the time'

'I miss her so much you know and you are right I can't stop thinking about her'

'I know and its evident how hard you are trying to keep her at bay when she comes over, it's like you have your shields up'

'I don't want to get hurt again and I said a lot of things to her when we broke up about how I cant go running after her anymore and she needs to sort her life out before I can even consider going back to her, if I give in now then how do I know she's not going to do it again in the future?

'Even I cant answer that one' said Amy

'I miss her so much and I know she still hangs out with us on Fridays but its not the same and I don't think it ever will be' said Leonard

'Leonard I don't know if this will help but Penny is doing exactly what you asked of her'

'What is she doing?

'She's been going for twice weekly therapy sessions for the past few weeks to help her deal with issues, I think she is realizing how much hurt she has caused, you know she is still in love with you'

'Even if she does still love me, I don't think she needs me anymore anyway, look at what's happened since we broke up'

'How do you mean?

'She's going to therapy as you just mentioned which is good and now got herself a long term acting job and on top of that she's selling the penny blossoms, I want to tell her how proud I am of her but I am afraid that if we have a conversation I will just fall back in with her and I just can't risk that at the moment'

'Leonard you know she's doing all these things to benefit herself for now and maybe its best that way for now, it's very clear neither of you are ready to jump back into the relationship when you both have a lot to deal with and if you want to tell her how proud you are maybe send her a card congratulating her, it doesn't have to be anything long, just a short note'

'Do you think that will work?

'Yes and the reason I took Penny to my room on Friday was to try and defuse the situation I could see you were not up to talking to her and maybe she was being a bit over eager with you, but you will know when you are ready'

'Will I?

'Yes, tell me Leonard do you think you could ever get back with her in the future?

'I would like to think so but she has to sort out her commitment issues and I need to get over the trust issue like you have with her'

'Oh Leonard, whilst I am happy to be friends with her, for now she doesn't know anything about my relationship with Sheldon but I am working on it myself and the more time I spend with her the more I notice she doesn't ask me questions about it'

Leonard nodded and looked thoughtful

'Amy thank you for talking to me, this has helped a lot'

'Your welcome Leonard and anytime you want to talk don't be afraid to ask, also if your car is still not working then I can drive you and Sheldon to work tomorrow and pick you both up'

'Amy you are a star' said Leonard as Amy reached over and gave him a hug

'Why don't you and Sheldon play some video games this afternoon after dinner, it might help release a bit of frustration as well'

'You might be right and I'm sorry I messed up the dinner!'

'No problem, we can just have the chicken and potatoes! Said Amy as she smiled at Leonard

_**Monday morning **_

Sheldon had an idea and went straight see President Siebert about the arrangements for May

'President Siebert may I have some input into the days we have to go away?

'Of course but I must tell you now that 3 of the 4 universities have requested you spend two days each with them so we have extended the trip to two weeks but you will have a weekend free in Barcelona in between and a little break at the end of it'

'Oh' said Sheldon momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say

'Dr Cooper you said you had a request?

'Yes! I was hoping that the end of the trip could include May 24'

'Amy reason in particular Dr Cooper'

'Yes that day is 4 years since Amy and I met and I want to do something special and if we are away then that could work out nicely' said Sheldon as he noticed Siebert was writing something down

'Dr Cooper I will work that into the schedule and let you know the full plans later this week, if you want to do something special with Amy let me know and we can work something out for you, what did you have in mind?

'Well' said Sheldon as he launched into just why it had to be special

Some 10 minutes later President Siebert replied

'Ok Dr Cooper, leave it in my hands and once we have sorted the plans we will arrange a meeting with yourself and Dr Fowler, not mentioning your plan of course

'Thank you President Siebert'

At lunchtime Leonard had got Raj to drive him home so he could meet with the breakdown mechanic man who was coming to take his car to the garage to be fixed

Penny woke on on Tuesday morning and as she left the bedroom noticed an envelope under the door, picking it up she opened it to see a congratulations card with a short note from Leonard just saying how proud he was of her with her new acting job and that she hoped she was successful in her Penny Blossoms endeavours

Penny found herself being extremely moved, then hearing noises outside she peeked through the spy hole and saw Leonard leaving the apartment, she quickly opened the door to see Leonard going down the stairs

'Leonard wait a moment'

'Penny I can't stop I'm in a hurry, Amy is waiting to give me and Sheldon a life and they are already in the car'

'Fine then left me walk down with you'

'You are in your nightwear you can't do that, what's the matter anyway? Asked Leonard as he noticed the card in Penny's hand

'I just wanted to say thank you for this' Penny found she couldn't speak anymore so she walked closer down the stairs to Leonard and gave him a quick hug

Leonard stiffened at the hug but found himself inhaling Penny's scent and hugging her back before she quickly let go and walked back to her apartment

Penny found herself curled up on the sofa sobbing because of the unexpected card from Leonard and how much she missed him, she decided to text Amy, Bernadette and Alex to have an emergency girl's night

_**Later on at Penny's**_

Penny had got takeaway Pizza had poured everybody except herself some wine and they were settled down chatting

'I think we could do with having a girl's weekend away' said Penny

'Well funny enough Sheldon mentioned that he and the boys would be going to Comic Con at San Diego in two weeks over a weekend so we could go the same time they are away' said Amy

'Where were you thinking of asked Bernadette

'I have always wanted to go to Carmel-on-sea its only a few hours driving, which we could take turns doing and its got great shops, a great beach and fantastic restaurants' said Penny

'Has something happened that has made you want to get away? Asked Bernadette

'Yes I had awkward encounter with Leonard on Friday before you guys got there and this morning he put this card through my door' said Penny as she showed them the card

'I wonder what made him do that? It's very sweet, said Alex

Amy decided to speak up

'He was upset on Sunday and he wanted to express how proud he was of your Penny but he couldn't do it without fear of what might happen with a big long conversation so I suggested it' said Amy

'Amy you really are a proper bestie for doing that and im so sorry for giving you cause to not trust me' said Penny taking Amy's hands in hers and patting them

'Penny its fine, I am trying to let it go and I don't want this to cause a problem between us anymore'

'Well you have my word I will never try anything so stupid again, look what its cost me' said Penny feeling sad

'You still have your girls Penny and we will help give you a fantastic weekend away' said Bernadette as the girls all agreed with her

'Oh by the way I have quit the cheesecake factory for good now, I have a final meeting with HSN this week and all going well then I should be starting on the channel within a couple of weeks'

'That's good, cant wait to see you selling them' said Amy

'Thanks, so for the weekend away, do you want me to look in to booking everything? Are we going Friday to Monday?

'Friday to Monday sounds good, if you could book everything and we will pay you what needs owing'

'Shall I book single rooms or double bed rooms?

'I think single, as we can have a little privacy that way as well' said Bernadette as Alex and Amy agreed with her

Later that night when Amy had got back to 4a she mentioned the trip away

'Sheldon just to let you know when you all go to Comic Con us girls have arranged to go to Carmel for the weekend'

'Oh that's good I was worried about leaving you and I was going to invite you but I kind of guessed that's not your thing' said Sheldon

'Not really but maybe in the future I could come with you to one but I wont be dressing up!

Sheldon pretended to pout and sulk but then kissed Amy very softly

'I hope that will change your mind?

'Nope not a chance, you will have to do a lot of convincing!

_**Thursday that week**_

Sheldon and Amy had been given a meeting time of 9am in President Sieberts office

'Good morning Dr Cooper and Dr Fowler, the plans are now completed and I have the full itinerary here' said Siebert as he handed over two folders which Amy and Sheldon both started leafing through

'I will just give you a brief breakdown. As you have noticed you are leaving on May 9th so you can of course take that day off work to travel, your flight is at 1735 from LAX landing at Heathrow at 1205pm Saturday and then you have a connecting flight to Edinburgh at 15:15pm, Dr Fowler you will notice that we have arranged a hire car for you to drive from Edinburgh to St Andrews as it is a distance of some 50 miles and we have booked hotels for you both at all the places you are staying and you will finish the University tour on May 21st where you will have 4 days free to go to CERN and whatever else you would like to do before leaving Geneva on May 25'

'Thank you for the use of the hire car President Siebert, will I need to arrange insurance? Asked Amy

'No that is all taken care of, now is there anymore questions?

Sheldon and Amy both shook their heads

'We will arrange for all the prospectus to go directly to all the universities ready for when you arrive, I know its still a few months away but I know you both wont let Caltech and UCLA down, we may have more meetings scheduled to talk about this nearer the time but for now you can go'

Sheldon was walking Amy out to her car when he remembered something

'Amy, Leonard is going to take us out to dinner tonight as a sorry for ruining Sunday dinner, I told him it didn't matter but he insisted'

'Oh that is very nice of him, do you know where he is taking us? Asked Amy

'No he said he would tell us later'

'Ok I have to get back to UCLA now Sheldon' said Amy as she reached her car

'Bye Amy' said Sheldon giving her a brief hug and kiss

_**Also Thursday**_

Penny along with Raj and her manager had met up with the HSN director and producer to sign the contract for selling the Penny Blossoms on TV and Penny was told she would start next week Monday with two live episodes with a primetime slot for 6pm which would she would then repeat live at 10am on Tuesday, the rest of the slots would be repeated throughout the week and she was able to fit in the filming of her web show with the live slots from HSN and they had also agreed on a retail fee of $7.50 including postage for the Penny Blossoms in all their varieties

They were also able to get a non exclusive clause allowing them to sell on the internet and Raj was able to set their website back up again

_**Next chapter will show Penny's debut on HSN**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Thanks for reading, hope you are all enjoying the story**_

_**All reviews are appreciated**_

_**A big thank you to my beta INWHATUNIVERSE for her advice and help and also to MISOPHONIA for offering encouragement, I recommend you visit both their pages, they have excellent stories **_

_**Continuing on from Thursday**_

On Thursday when the meeting at HSN came to an end, the producer Anne Martin-Vachon had issued Penny with an identity card so she could come straight to the studio area and Penny had been allocated her own dressing room, she had also told Penny to dress smart casual for her broadcast and asked her to arrive at 4pm on Monday for a quick run through, Raj had also been issued with an Identity Card as he would be coming with Penny for support

Penny's production line had been running smoothly for the past few weeks churning out all the blossoms in various guises and colours, she had employed 6 people to do the work and she had also hired her friend Kelly who had worked at the Cheesecake Factory to be her assistant and to manage things when she was unable to be at the unit they had bought for the production

_**Monday afternoon**_

Penny arrived with Raj shortly before 4pm and went to her dressing room to wait for Anne's assistant Cecily to collect her, the room had been decorated tastefully with a small two seater sofa and armchair with a mini fridge in the corner and a water drinks dispenser and a television on the wall

She had dressed appropriately as well wearing black trousers and a turquoise shirt accessorized with a watch on one arm and a bracelet on her other

'I'm feeling nervous Raj, what if it all goes wrong' said Penny as she gulped down some water

'Penny you are the least nervous out of any of our social group, I wouldn't worry too much

Penny was about to answer when Cecily appeared at the door

'Penny if you are ready we can go to the studio now'

'Sure' said Penny finishing her water and following Cecily out the door with Raj

When they got to the studio floor the producer Anne was talking with the cameraman and stopped when she saw Penny approaching

'Hi Penny, I have decided that you can use the speech you gave at your audition as that was pretty much perfect and it will roll on the autocue when you are speaking to the camera, at the end of the introduction there will be a telephone number for people to call which will include your website details and all you will have to say is that these will be available on the screen at the end of the introduction and presentation of the products you are selling'

'Ok that sounds straight forward' said Penny

'Good now we will have a little run though now just so you that can see the auto cue clearly and we can iron out any problems before the broadcast'

Anne took Penny over to the area she would be in for her broadcast and a table had been set up with the samples that Penny had previously brought in ready for demonstration

'Now Penny if you are ready, just go for it' said Anne

15 minutes later Penny finished the 1st demonstration and Anne was delighted

'Penny I think we have found a star in you, at your first audition you performed excellently and you have just proved that again, I don't think we will need another demonstration unless you feel you need to?

'No I feel very confident now' said Penny

'Ok good, we have another person making a broadcast at 5pm so if you want to stay and watch you are welcome to' said Anne

'Sure' said Penny

At 555pm Penny was ready and in position to start, she would be given the countdown signal ready to start and the cameraman would signal for her to start

'Hi I'm Penny and I am here to show you Penny Blossoms. Have you ever just felt like you needed a ray of sunshine to make your day feel better? Trust me, I have had plenty of bad hair days to find reasons to need some sunshine come my way. One day when I was having a particularly bad hair day, as well as having trouble finding the right accessory to go with an outfit I had selected for an audition, I got fed up and found a few things lying around that I put together and that was how Penny Blossoms was born'

You know when you go to bed sometimes with your hair wet and how it gets little matted spots that even after combing them out they still have that nasty little kink that just won't go away? Well that happened to me that day and so I created this'

Picking up a cute blossom hair accessory Penny put it in her hair

'And voila! I was able to cover it up with my newly created Penny Blossom. I worked at a restaurant and one of the girls there saw it and wanted to know where I got it. Then a second girl asked and one of the patrons of the restaurant asked. It got me to thinking that if that many in such a short time wanted one, maybe I should start making them for others. I began to give them as gifts and then would begin to sell them to friends and colleagues. Soon the demand got more and more'

Picking up a belt that had one of her creations on it, Penny put the belt around her waist and continued "The more I made, the more ideas I came up with and so I branched out and began making belts, purse and shoe accessories and even jewelry." She started to show each of the items.

"But there are so many times you go and find the cutest outfit but it needs a belt and you can't find one that works with it. I solved that with Penny Blossoms. The beauty of these belts is that the accessories clip on and you can change things up' Penny demonstrated by changing the accessories and belts around

'These products are retailing for $7.50 including postage, now if you would like any of these products please call the number shown on the left hand side of the screen or you can go via our website which is also shown for more details'

Penny gave the camera a very wide smile before being given the signal to stop and the broadcast went over to adverts

'Penny that was very good, I hope you are prepared for huge demand' said Anne

'Oh yes we have made 30,000 in preparation and my team are able to produce as many as possible if required'

'Penny I just checked the website and since the broadcast we have had 1500 hits' said Raj

'Well done Penny and to you Raj for agreeing to finance her with this Endeavour' said Anne

Penny and Raj smiled at her

'Your broadcast will run again tonight at 7pm and at the top of the hour until midnight' said Anne

'Do you want me to make any changes? Asked Penny

'No that was perfect Penny, as for tomorrow you will need to be here for 9am ready for the live broadcast at 10am'

'Thank you' said Penny as she and Raj left the studio

'Come on we are going out for a celebration dinner, the others are all joining us' said Raj

'Oh where are we going?

'There is a Chinese restaurant that Sheldon really likes so we are going there'

When they arrived at the restaurant everybody hugged her including Leonard and said how great she was during the broadcast which gave Penny confidence for tomorrow, she refused the champagne being offered and stuck to soft drinks and offered a toast to Raj

'I just want to say that without Raj financing this whole thing I don't think it would of got further than selling less than a couple hundred, so thank you to Raj' said Penny as she hugged him

The others all raised their glasses and Raj looked very embarrassed

_**Tuesday Morning**_

Amy was working in her office when she received a reply email from Faisal and needed to speak to Dr Carter and President Siebert about it so she phoned Dr Carter to see if she was free which she was and went to her office and asked her if she could Skype President Siebert

President Siebert appeared on the Skype screen and greeted Dr Carter and Dr Fowler

'Dr Fowler you have some news?

'Yes, for the last few years I have had a private donor and after I sent an email to him explaining our European project for May he has made a donation of $5000 towards the trip and $20,000 each to both our universities, he has also promised an extra $40,000 if we can include the Middle East countries the year after'

'Which countries was he requesting we go to Dr Fowler? Asked Siebert

'Saudi Arabia and Dubai were two of them but he also mentioned Iran and Lebanon'

'Ok thank you Dr Fowler we can have a think about this plan, would you mind forwarding the email to me and I can reply direct to him'

'Yes sure no problem' said Amy

_**Meanwhile at the HSN**_

Penny had just made her 2nd live broadcast and had been given a live slot for 6pm Friday evening that week to garner interest for the weekend, they had what Anne called a very successful result from the previous evening with over 10,000 calls requesting either Penny Blossoms or more info and sales

Penny went to rehearsals for her web show that afternoon then made the plans for the girl's weekend away to Carmel and called the girls to come over

'I have booked us into the Vagabonds House and Boutique Inn for Friday to Monday and I have booked our rooms, they are all very similar and because it's a spa hotel we can go for treatments as and when we like, I didn't book any because I wasn't sure which ones you would like' said Penny

'How much do we owe you? Asked Amy

'Lets just call it an even $600, the hotel is very exclusive and I will pay any excess' said Penny smiling at the girls

'Are you sure? Asked Bernadette

'Yes I was the one who suggested the trip away and this week so far has been very successful and I want to share that with my friends' said Penny

'Well at least any money we save we can spend in the shops' laughed Alex as the group agreed

'We will need to leave here probably around 9am as it takes 5 hours to drive' said Penny

Later that evening Penny heard from Raj that they had over 50,000 hits on their website and had sales for 5000

Penny was very happy and that showed in the Friday evening live broadcast, she radiated happiness during the broadcast and the viewers were mesmerized by her confidence

_**Thanks for reading**_

_**Next chapter up at the weekend**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**Cheers for the reviews and follows**_

_**Friday**_

Before Penny left the HSN building with Raj, Anne had told her that her broadcast would run for 2 weeks before they pulled it from the schedule but Anne had also told Penny that if she had anymore things to sell then she would happily give her a slot in the future.

Thanks to Penny's repeated broadcasts they were getting thousands of hits on the website, Raj had also showed Penny the feedback forum that he had set up and also an international page with prices showing in their various currencies in case anybody outside the USA were looking to buy the blossoms.

The girls decided to go out to Beverley Hills and celebrate Penny's successful week, Penny had invited Raj but he was going to the guys video game night

Leonard had been called to President Siebert's office at 5pm that afternoon so Sheldon waited in his office for him as Howard would be driving them both home for Vintage video game night and Raj would be joining them later

'President Siebert you wanted to see me?

'Yes how would you feel about teaching one of the advanced physics classes?

'That's not a problem' said Leonard

'Ok It will only be for 2 months, Professor Hall has been in an accident and broken both his legs so he will be off and unable to teach, we will ensure that you get extra pay for this but in return we would also like you to attend the joint university fundraiser we have coming up, Dr Cooper and Dr Fowler will be attending also'

'Sure, when is my first class?

'I will email you his schedule Dr Hofstadter, oh and one other thing Mrs Latham will be attending the fund raiser so if you could spend most of your time with her during the night that would be very useful, she seems to like you and she donates a lot of money to the university' said Siebert

'Ok but that's all it will be Sir, I wont be taking one for the team again' said Leonard

'I wouldn't expect you to Leonard, she is more than impressed with your work' said Siebert

'Ok good' said Leonard

_**Later on at 4a when everybody had arrived**_

'Leonard what did Siebert want? Asked Sheldon

'Oh Professor Hall has broken both his legs and can't teach for a couple months so I will be taking his classes and I will be attending that fundraiser that's coming up, you two will probably be asked to go as well' said Leonard pointing towards Raj and Howard

'I wish it was an option to go, I don't really like going' said Raj

'Well its compulsory Raj, by the way Sheldon when I was a the Comic book store on Wednesday I mentioned going to Comic Con to Alice and she said she and a couple of her friends are going also' said Leonard

'Is she travelling with us? Asked Sheldon

'No she said she will meet me there at some point' said Leonard

'I thought you had stopped seeing her? Asked Raj

'I have but we have agreed to be friends' said Leonard

'Personally I think you are crazy for dumping somebody that hot' said Howard

'Ok first of all there was no dumping, we were just going on dates and second of all whilst I will agree that Alice is very hot we agreed at the time to not carry on dating because I wasn't over Penny and it was Alice that made me see it' said Leonard

'Was she ok with you ending whatever it was you had? Asked Raj

'Yes I told her I didn't want to mess her around, I've had enough of that done to myself without doing to somebody else' said Leonard

'How do you feel about Penny now? Asked Sheldon

'Whilst I still love her, I think I am getting to the point where it doesn't hurt anymore and I can move forward without thinking about her everyday, I can say though that I am very proud of how she's got on since we split up, she has a new lease of life and that's what I intend to do with myself and even more so at work' said Leonard

'But what getting back together in the future? Asked Howard

'Maybe in the future but I don't care about that at the moment, I am focusing on myself without worrying about somebody else for once' said Leonard truthfully

'I still think you were mad to finish with somebody as hot as Penny' said Howard

'Howard you are sounding like a broken record, I have my reasons for finishing with her and as I have said before hotness in somebody doesn't always mean you are going to have a successful relationship' said Leonard getting fed up with the questions

'Is there anything you miss about her? Asked Raj

'She was very sweet and loving when we were alone and she's a lot smarter than you think but none of that matters anymore, I just want to get on with life and be by myself for once' replied Leonard

'You can always borrow my robot' said Howard

'You know Howard I don't think Bernadette should let you out alone with comments like that' said Leonard

_**Saturday Morning**_

Sheldon and Leonard were up early to watch the 630am showing of Dr Who on BBC America and Amy had also got up to make them breakfast when the apartment phone started ringing.

'If somebody is calling this early it can only be bad news' said Sheldon

'Not necessarily' said Amy as she picked up the phone to find it was her mother, holding the call for a moment she told Sheldon it was her mother and took the call in her bedroom and returned 10 minutes later.

'What did your mother want? Asked Sheldon

'I will wait until your program is finished, I don't want to disturb you both, do you want bacon and eggs for breakfast? Asked Amy

Leonard and Sheldon both said yes

Once breakfast had been served and Dr Who had finished Amy told them what her mother wanted

'She was up early as usual and she wanted to invite us over for dinner tomorrow, I haven't given an answer yet, I wanted to see what you thought' said Amy looking pensive

'Oh Amy you know I am not comfortable around strangers and the last time I spoke to your mother was to inform her at your insistence that we were having wild sex' exclaimed Sheldon

'Sheldon that was a long time ago, I highly doubt that she would bring that up' said Amy as she started to wash up the breakfast things

'Amy I will do that, you were good enough to cook breakfast' said Leonard

'Ok thank you Leonard'

'Amy why don't we have her over here for dinner instead? I would feel more comfortable that way' said Sheldon

'If you are sure, Leonard you are welcome to join us as well' said Amy

'Thank you Amy, it will be good to meet you mother' said Leonard

'Ok let me go ring her back' said Amy

Amy returned a few minutes later and confirmed her mother had agreed to come for dinner

'She's coming at 3pm so I think I will do the usual of Roast Chicken and all the trimmings' said Amy

'Amy I would come shopping with you to help get everything but Raj is picking me up at 10am so I can collect my car from the garage' said Leonard

'If you like I can drop you off when Sheldon and I leave for the shops' said Amy

'Are you sure, I don't want to put you out' said Leonard

'Leonard its fine, the garage is on the way to the shops so it's not a problem'

'Ok as a thank you I will bring Pizza in for dinner'

'That will go down very nice Leonard thank you' said Sheldon

On Saturday afternoon after Amy and Sheldon had been to the shops and Leonard had gone out to get the Pizza they finally had some time to go through the itinerary for their work trip in May and were discussing their plans for the free time they would be getting.

'Sheldon we are due to arrive in Edinburgh at around 430pm and rather than me drive to St Andrews after such a long flight why don't we just book a hotel room for the night and go to Edinburgh Zoo on Sunday morning, they have the loan of 2 pandas from China there as well, then go to St Andrews afterwards' said Amy

'Well as long as Siebert doesn't mind us changing the plans, they have already books hotels for us Amy'

I know but they wont be out of pocket seeing as Faisal is now paying for the entire trip through his funding and if Siebert does complain we can just pay the difference anyway' said Amy

'Ok lets do that then, we can look at hotels later on' said Sheldon

'Good now when we are in Barcelona what would you like to do? I know I would like to go to the beach so maybe we could do that one of the afternoons' said Amy

'I don't mind, wherever you go I will follow' said Sheldon

'That's very sweet of you Sheldon, you do say some lovely things' said Amy leaning over to kiss him

'As far as I'm concerned Amy you deserve to be complimented' said Sheldon as he continued the kiss that Amy started which only ended when Leonard walked in with the pizza.

_**Sunday afternoon**_

Amy's mother had texted her when she was a few minutes away so Amy went downstairs ready to meet her which left Sheldon and Leonard in the apartment with Sheldon feeling increasingly nervous

'What if she doesn't like me Leonard, the only mother I have met that isn't my own and that I actually like is yours' said Sheldon

'Sheldon calm down everything will be fine, whether Amy's mother likes you or not, it will make no difference to your relationship with Amy' said Leonard

'Leonard once again you are the voice of reason when chaos is erupting' said Sheldon

'I would hardly call it chaos Sheldon' said Leonard shaking his head at Sheldon in despair

'I would, by the way when is your mother coming to visit you, I have not heard from her for over a month and we usually converse via Skype' said Sheldon

'Last I heard she was on a nationwide tour of her latest book, even if she was here in Pasadena I wouldn't know about it' said Leonard

Just then Amy arrived with her mother

'Mother this is Sheldon and our roommate Leonard, guys this is my mother Barbara' said Amy pointing them out

'Nice to meet you Mrs Fowler' said Sheldon and Leonard at the same time

'Oh do call me Barbara its less formal' said Barbara extending her hand and shaking Sheldon's hand and then Leonard's

'So how's this little arrangement working out then? Asked Barbara looking to Amy

'Yes everything is very good, no arguments yet' said Amy leading her mother to the armchair and then going to the kitchen to serve the dinner

'I see and Sheldon what are your intentions towards my daughter, I do hope you are not going to mess her about'

'No of course not, I love Amy and we are committed to each other'

'How committed? Asked Barbara

'Well we have plans to marry in the future but for now we are just enjoying being with each other' said Sheldon

Amy who was in the kitchen had been hoping her mother wouldn't ask embarrassing questions but she had failed on that

'Mother I don't think you need to interrogate Sheldon, we are very happy and that's all that matters' said Amy

Barbara said nothing to that

'Can I get you a drink? Asked Leonard

'Oh just water please, will we be expecting anybody else here today at dinner? Do you have a girlfriend Leonard? Asked Barbara

'No I am single Mrs Fowler' said Leonard

'Mother I already said you don't need to interrogate then about things like that'

'I like finding out things about your friends Amy, after all you did spend a long time on your own'

'Yes thank you for reminding me mother, dinner is ready if you all want to come and collect it' said Amy suddenly feeling tired at her mother

'Amy tell me about your work, anything new lined up?

'Well Sheldon and I are going on a European tour of Universities in May to demonstrate our work and to encourage the students to come to our Universities and study'

'Oh how long will you be gone for?

'Two weeks, will be going to Scotland, Spain, Holland and Switzerland and we have a fund raising dinner for other projects the week after next to go to' said Amy

'Why are you doing the Universities work for them? Asked Barbara

'Because a few weeks ago I had to go to London on short notice and Sheldon also went to Cambridge and London and he performed excellently and the feedback showed that and as we are both at the top of our fields, they want us to represent them and they are giving us a weekend break in Barcelona and a short break at the end with all expenses paid' said Amy

'I always knew you would be a success Amy and I wasn't wrong' said Barbara

'Thank you mother' said Amy as Sheldon gave her a hug

'Whilst I may have had doubts about Sheldon after that first Skype call when you introduced me to him, I can see how happy you are together and you have my blessing' said Barbara

'Well even if we didn't have your blessing we would still be together, other peoples feelings have no factor in what we have' said Amy as Sheldon nodded in agreement

'Amy that dinner was delicious, will there be dessert? Asked Barbara changing the subject

'Yes I bought a chocolate and honey cheesecake'

'Wow Amy even thought I am lactose intolerant even I will have a small slice of that' said Leonard

The rest of the afternoon passed with no more difficult questions and Barbara left at 7pm

'Sheldon you do know we will probably get an invite again to her house and will have to go now' said Amy

'Yes I know and seeing as she is your mother and I love you I will do this for you' said Sheldon

'Thank you Sheldon and its not like this will happen every week, I will make sure of that, she is very exhausting' said Amy

Leonard had by now switched his laptop on and found Siebert's email with the teaching schedule

'That's good Professor Hall only has 1 class a day, at least it wont stop me from doing my own work' said Leonard

'Teaching can get in the way sometimes, I know that myself' said Amy

'Can we just have a relaxing rest of the evening without talking about work' said Sheldon

'What do you want to do instead? Asked Leonard

'Grand theft auto' said Sheldon as he set up the game

'Are you playing Amy? Asked Leonard

'No I have to do this weeks rota for the addiction study but you guys have fun' said Amy picking up her laptop and going to her room where she could have a bit of quiet

_**Am ending this chapter there but the next chapter with the girlie weekend away will follow immediately**_

_**Cheers for reading**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**I have done research into the area they are going **_

The week passed quickly for the group, with them all looking forward to their respective weekends away.

Penny and Raj had more sales and Penny had instructed her team to make more items so that they did not run out of stock and Penny had even had a critic review in the local newspaper about her broadcast praising her for her naturalness in front of the camera

It had been suggested the day before leaving for the weekend, that everybody stay at Penny's so they could leave at the time designated, although this caused problems with Howard and Sheldon not wanting to be without Bernie and Amy and being very unhappy with the arrangement but that was solved with Leonard telling Howard and Raj to stay at 4a for the night and Howard and Sheldon being able to see their o/h before retiring to sleep also Penny had found an unusual law when looking the town up

'By the way don't bother taking any heels over two inches because they are banned in the town' said Penny

'Are you joking? Said Bernadette who never went anywhere without heels

'No I'm serious, look it says so here on the Wikipedia write up for the town and we all know how accurate they are but I don't want to chance it' said Penny showing them what she had seen

'At least they have a good reason for the ban, if people keep falling over and trying to sue the local council that wont be good for tourism' said Amy as ever the voice of reason

_**Friday morning Penny's apartment**_

Amy had woken first and quickly made the girl's breakfast and soon they were ready to leave, it had been decided they would go in Amy's car as that had more room for them and their luggage

Thankfully because of a lack of traffic and not stopping on the way they arrived at the hotel at 2pm and went into the reception area

'Good afternoon ladies, welcome to the Vagabonds House and Boutique Inn, if you could all show me your reservations and sign here in the book, I will give you your room keys and I will ask a porter to show you to your rooms, they are all next door to each other' said the receptionist

'Also we have a wine and cheese reception every day between 4 and 6pm so you are welcome to join in with the other guests'

The porter arrived and took them to their rooms though on the way they came across several guests with dogs and looked to the porter for answers

'Oh yes, the hotel allows Pets as long as they owner ensures they are kept under control at all times'

He then showed Penny into Room 1 and then Amy in room 2 followed by Bernadette Room 3 and Alex room 4, the girls checked out each others rooms and saw that they were pretty much identically kitted out

'Shall we unpack and then go to this cheese and wine thing? Asked Penny as they sat in Amy's room chatting

'Yes sure' said Bernadette

'Then after we can go for a walk around the town' said Alex

'The shops will be closed by then but we have all day tomorrow to do that' said Penny

'Maybe we can have dinner out as well, I am pretty hungry' said Amy

'Well we did pass a bistro restaurant on the way here, maybe we can go there' said Bernadette

After they had unpacked they went to the cheese and wine event hosted by the hotel but all the other guests were old couples so they decided to go out to the town instead

When they reached the bistro they went in and found a table for four where Amy and Penny ordered Chicken fillets with garlic and Alex and Bernadette shared a Spanish paella dish, they all had wine and Penny decided that she would drink and she was able to control her drinking now that she was in a happy point in her life and not using the alcohol to try and hide her problems

They went back to the hotel after dinner and to Penny's room to talk about plans for the weekend

'I would like to book a massage for Sunday, when Sheldon took me away for my birthday he arranged for me to have a full body massage and everything else and I enjoyed it so much I want to do it again! Said Amy

'Well why don't we all book massages then afterwards we can go to Monterey Bay Aquarium' said Bernadette

'Then tomorrow we can hit the shops and maybe go to the beach afterwards' said Penny

'That works for me' said Alex as Bernadette and Amy agreed with her

Amy had loaded the aquarium website on her laptop and was checking it out

'There is a live feeding of the otters at 1030am so why don't we go there first and then have the massages afterwards, we will probably have to leave about 930 though' said Amy

'Well we can have a lie in tomorrow before hitting the shops, let me phone reception and book 4 massages for 3pm Sunday afternoon' said Penny

They stayed in Penny's room drinking and chatting until midnight before retreating to their own rooms for the night

Amy had promised to speak to Sheldon before she went to sleep and they both had their laptops so she rang his Skype and he answered straight away

'Hi Sheldon, sorry it's so late, we were just having too much fun, are you ok?

'Yes I'm fine, I wasn't in bed, Leonard and the guys and I were playing card games as Howard was also waiting for Bernadette to call which I think she is now doing as he has disappeared with his phone'

'How's the event going? Asked Amy

'Yes very good, Will Wheaton is here as well with his mate Brent Spiner, Will was trying to convince me that Brent really does want to do Fun with Flags and even though he broke my mint condition box maybe I should just forgive him and let him do it, I cant hold grudges forever' said Sheldon

'That sounds very mature Sheldon' said Amy

'Thank you Amy, what are you doing for the weekend?

'Tomorrow we are going to the shops then on Sunday we are going to Monterey Bay Aquarium and then the hotel does massages and we are all having one' said Amy

'Can you take some pictures or videos of the animals Amy and you can show me when we get back'

'Sure thing, I'm going to have to go as I am ready to drop but do you like the room? Asked Amy moving the laptop around the room to show Sheldon

'Yes it's very nice, will you Skype me tomorrow night as well? Asked Sheldon

'Yes of course' said Amy

'Ok I am going to bed as well now and I wish you were with me' said Sheldon

'I wish the same thing Sheldon'

'Ok good night and remember I love you' said Sheldon

'Love you too' said Amy blowing a kiss at him as they both signed off together

The next morning the girls woke up around 9am and went for breakfast outside in the courtyard and had a selection of fruit and bagels and juices between them

They then went off to Carmel Plaza which had 40 speciality boutique shops

Penny was in one the shops when an idea came to her and tried to usher the girls outside

'Quick outside now I need to talk to you all' said Penny looking excited

'What's the matter? Asked Amy

'Being in that shop has given me an idea, I know it's probably crazy but I am going to go for it' said Penny

'What are you going for? Asked Amy confused

'I am going to set up my own Penny Blossom accessories brand, I can buy a shop and stock it with clothes, purses and bags with the blossom printed on them like its my own trademark'

'That is a great idea' said Bernadette

'Yes I wish I could speak to Raj about it but I guess that can wait until we get back and these things take time to set up anyway' said Penny

'If you are able to set up a shop who will you get to run it? You are already unavailable for 3 days a week' asked Alex quite reasonably

'That's something I will need to think about, maybe I could get my sister Natasha to do it, she isn't working and this will give her a chance to earn some money and I'm sure she would happy to get out of Nebraska' said Penny

'If you are open at the weekends, I will be happy to work there as well and give you a bit of support' said Alex

'You will? That's great thank you, I think what I will also do is keep the Penny Blossoms to buy online only like it's an exclusive thing and very special but everything else in the shop' said Penny

'Why don't you call Raj now and see if he's free? You are looking like you are going to burst with ideas! Said Bernadette

'Yes we will go back in the shop and give you a bit of privacy' said Amy

Penny got her phone out and video called Raj who luckily enough was free and answered straight away

'Raj I have just had the best idea and I think you will like it, we can have a proper meeting about it when we all get back but I need to tell you now' said Penny

'What's the idea Penny?

'We can trademark the Penny Blossom brand and open a clothing shop along with accessories like purses and bags with the Penny Blossom brand printed on it'

'I like your style Penny, I just happen to know that there is a shop unit available for sale on Rodeo Drive and I can find out about availability if you like but we can have a proper talk when we return about finances and that sort of thing' said Raj

'Ok great, oh by the way how are you all doing? Asked Penny

'Yes we are all having fun and Will Wheaton has joined us as well' said Raj

'Ok I will let you go now then' said Penny

'Bye Penny'

Penny went back into the shop and found the girls

'Raj loved the idea and we will talk about it more when we get back'

'Penny you're turning into a proper businesswoman now' said Bernadette

'Well I would like to think so, it's you guys that helped me realise what I want out of life and also Leonard when he ended things he said pretty much the same thing, I cant keep on relying on them for things all the time like I have been, this is a chance for me to get a bit of independence' said Penny

They carried on shopping and by around 2pm all 4 were loaded down with bags, they dropped the bags back in their rooms, got changed into their bikinis and put on t-shirt and shorts over them, they packed a bag full of towels and sun block and walked down to the beach stopping off for takeaway burger and chips on the way

They found a clear space on the white sandy beach and admired the view, there were a few water skiers and sailing yachts in the sea but the weather was warm enough for them to sunbathe

They settled down to eat their food before they did anything else

Unfortunately for Penny she soon attracted some teenage boys who were gawping at her from a distance

'Penny them boys are watching you' said Amy noticing

'Let them look, its not like they will dare to come over' said Penny

'I'm going to go in the sea for a swim, anybody want to join me? Asked Bernadette

'Yes I will come' said Penny

Alex and Amy carried on sunbathing

'In the sea Penny noticed two guys in the sea wading towards her and Bernadette, Penny was feeling so not like being hit on and was prepared, the guys stopped a few feet away and addressed Penny completely ignoring Bernadette but Penny got in first

'Before you both start you should know I have no interest in anything you have to say' said Penny moving away from them

'Oh come on you don't even know what we want yet' said the taller of the two

'We want you to come with us to a club tonight, you fit the dancer type' said the other

'No thanks' said Penny turning away

'Playing hard to get I see, look my names Jack and he is Gary' Jack started to talk again before being interrupted by Bernadette

'Hey if she says she is not interested then I suggest you get lost before I make you go' said Bernadette in her scary voice

'Jees chill out girls we just wanna have fun and this one here looks fun, you look familiar as well thinking about it, have you done modelling? Asked Jack looking at Penny

'No, I know how to have fun and it's not with you' said Penny

'Come on Jack we are wasting our time here' said Gary as they saw another group of girls further down the beach and made their way to them

'What a pair of idiots' said Penny as Bernadette agreed with her

They carried on swimming for a bit longer before going back to sunbathe where Amy questioned Penny on the guys

'It looks like they are hitting on every girl on the beach' said Amy

'Yes well I told them where to go and Bernadette helped scared them off' said Penny

'Good for you Penny, guys like that are just creeps' said Alex

They left the beach later that afternoon and went for a walk around the local area before having dinner at a restaurant then returned to the hotel later that night

_**Sunday**_

Amy drove the girls to the Aquarium at Monterey, it was only 6 miles from Carmel so they made it in plenty of time and went straight to the Sea Otter exhibit ready for the feeding session when the keeper appeared

'Hello Ladies and Gentleman before I feed the animals I will give you a few facts about some of them, especially this one here' said the keeper indicating an otter next to him

'Her name is Rosa and she was stranded between beaches in Santa Cruz county at only 4 weeks only back in 1999 and she is our eldest otter' The Keeper then passed the otter some fish where the otter delicately put it between her paws and nibbled it while the keeper carried on talking

'We managed to rehabilitate her to go back to the wild but she only lasted two years because she kept coming into contact with divers and climbing into Kayaks, so she was brought here to be put on show and she has had 11 pups some of which have been successfully released into the wild'

The keeper carried on feeding the otters with the fish while they competed with each other to get the best bits while the keeper carried on giving facts and figures about the 5 otters that lived there

'Well that was fun' I'm almost glad we got up early to see that' said Amy as she put her phone away after filming the feeding session and taking pictures for Sheldon to see

'Yes I enjoyed it too' said Penny

They carried on round the Aquarium and enjoyed seeing various animals with Amy taking more pictures and the girls buying t-shirts from the gift shop

When they returned back to the hotel they all went for their massages and then went out to dinner before returning early as they had plans to leave Carmel at 10 am Monday morning

On Sunday evening Raj had text Penny to arrange a meeting for Monday evening to discuss Penny's idea

The girls arrived back in Pasadena at around 3pm and Penny got ready to meet Raj, while Sheldon was very happy to see Amy and took her off to the bedroom to show just how much he missed her

_**Like the last chapter am ending it there**_

_**Cheers for reading, hope you are enjoying the story**_

_**Next chapter will show Penny's new ideas come to fruition**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Thanks for the reviews and follows, they are all appreciated**_

_**I would like to apologise to the Lenny fans that are reading this and I am very aware that this story may have upset you but do not despair, I am doing something the show is not going to do and that's show Penny as an independent woman and eventually without giving too much away, Leonard and Penny will find a way back to each other **_

_**Thanks again to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** for her very helpful tips and advice which I will try to implement here in this chapter**_

_**Late on Monday afternoon after everybody gets home**_

Penny had a couple of hours until Raj arrived for their meeting, so she set out her plans on the kitchen table, made herself a sandwich and a cup of tea, then got busy writing ideas down and drawing pictures of the clothing range to show Raj just what she was thinking of, she had also put some soft background music on to help her concentrate

Remembering to Skype her sister, Penny set up her laptop and rang her sisters skype

Natasha was 2 years younger than Penny and looks wise was very similar and while Penny was slim, Natasha was a bit bigger but also taller with the same long blonde hair, she also had a feisty attitude to go with it

Penny had to wait a while before Natasha picked up

'Hi Natasha, how are you doing?

'Fine, apart from being out of work and having no money, Nebraska kind of sucks at the moment' said Natasha scowling at Penny

'Well how do you fancy leaving Nebraska and coming to California and working for me? Asked Penny

'Depends what its doing' said Natasha not even looking interested

'Ok you know I am selling the Penny Blossoms? Penny waited for an acknowledgment but got nothing so continued

'Well I am expanding out into the accessories and clothing market and I would like you to manage the store, its going to be an exclusive range though where we treat the customers like they are very special and offer a personal shopper service' said Penny

'Me? A manager! Are you sure Penny, I don't know the first thing about managing' said Natasha looking shocked at the thought

'I know but its going to be a while before we open up, we can both go on managerial training courses, I wont be able to manage the store because of my web series but we can also go to some of the stores on Rodeo Drive to pick up ideas on how they treat their clients, remember they expect personal service' said Penny

'When do you want me to come over? Asked Natasha

'Does that mean you are interested Nat, because you were the first person I thought of and I wouldn't be asking if I didn't trust that you could do this' said Penny

'Yes of course' said Natasha looking happier

'Well I am going to talk to my business partner Raj tonight and we can make some plans then I will let you know about coming over, if you like you can come over this week, you can stay with me until we get you somewhere' said Penny

'I can't afford the flight though' said Natasha

'Don't worry about it, I will pay for it and I can try and get you a waitresssing job if you want to earn some money beforehand' said Penny

'Ok I have nothing to lose then by coming, if you can book me a flight for Wednesday then I will come'

'Good I have to go now as I have a meeting in a few minutes, I will book the flight and forward the details on to you and Natasha I know you wont let me down' said Penny

'Thank you for thinking of me' said Natasha looking tearful

'No problem' said Penny smiling at her

Penny made herself another drink and went on to the internet, booked a flight for Wednesday and emailed her sister the details then carried on searching the internet for ideas of how to stock her store

Raj arrived shortly afterwards with his laptop and a real estate brochure

'Hi Raj come in, you don't know how excited I am about this' said Penny

'Ok you may have to reel in the excitement a little, I shall have to start off with a bit of bad news, you know I mentioned going to see the empty shop on Rodeo Drive that was for sale? Said Raj

'Yes what about it? Asked Penny

'Well after seeing how much it cost, we can rule that out, some of the stores were selling for $50 million plus dollars last year and the one I was looking at was $25 million but after doing a bit of digging around, I have found a store that is available for rental so I have made an appointment for tomorrow morning at 9am' said Raj showing Penny the details of a pretty white painted building

'Ok thank you, the outside of it looks beautiful, but at $30,000 a month how are we going to afford it though? Said Penny as she noticed the price

'Well if we are going to give with the high end of the exclusive range then we will more than be able to pay for it' said Raj

'Of course I want to go high end, I have seen some of the things in the Rodeo Drive stores selling for thousands and I would like to offer the Personal shopper service' said Penny

'Well you will be able to do that as well, we just need to find top end seamstresses and suppliers and as for the rent, I can afford to pay for one years worth of rent from my own money, think of it as a gift to the business and if we are successful in this project Penny then I have no doubts that we can start paying rent out of the profit we will make

'Thank you Raj, that is very generous of you, do you want to see what plans I have? Asked Penny

'Sure but first I should tell you we had 7500 sales just over the weekend and Kelly is processing them all now' said Raj

'Oh that's fantastic' said Penny feeling even more happier than before

'Yes and I don't know why I didn't think of this before but I have also set up Twitter and Facebook accounts linking to the Penny Blossoms website, once the store is up and running we can advertise the opening of the store on there, but I think the type of client may be a lot different, so we can have a separate Twitter and Facebook accounts for them but they can have be linked together' said Raj as he showed Penny the accounts on his laptop

At their little workshop they had a computer set up with daily orders that were coming in and Kelly who was the assistant manager was tasked with checking it regularly and making sure that the deliveries went out on time, thanks to them making excess blossoms before sales started coming in, they were ready for anything

'Do you want to show me your plans? Asked Raj

'Yes I have done some rough drawings for the clothing range, we can have trouser suits, skirt suits, blouses, jackets and evening dresses with the Penny Blossom printed on them discreetly' said Penny showing Raj the drawings

'Yes I like that, oh by the way I have registered the Penny Blossom trademark so we can use that, have you thought of a name for the store?

'Yes I want to call it "Penny for your thoughts" said Penny showing Raj her design of the store name which she had done in a colourful Italic style

'Good choice, what else do you have?

'We can stock handbags, purses, scarves and shoulder shrugs said Penny

'Ok have you thought about a manager for the store, because you know you won't be able to be there all the time' said Raj

'Yes I know, I have asked my sister Natasha who lives in Nebraska, she has said yes and I have bought her ticket to come over this week, also I haven't done it yet but we need to book a managerial training course because neither of us know anything about managing such exclusive stores with the sort of client they attract'

'Actually that's a good idea, have you thought about hiring other staff? Because while it may take up to a month to get the store ready for opening, you need to get people in trained up and ready especially so if you are offering a personal shopper service' said Raj

'Yes Alex has also mentioned she would like to work there if we open at weekends and I could always advertise' said Penny

'Penny do you think you could ask your manager to hire a Publicist because we are going to need one, also perhaps you could make an advert and have it on one of the main TV networks, HSN could help you out I am sure' said Raj

'Ok I can do that' said Penny but she was also thinking about something else and wondered whether Raj would go for it

'Raj would you consider renting an apartment for my sister? It just until we get the store opened and she starts earning a wage'

'Of course Penny, she wont need anything bigger than a one bedroom place though will she?

'No and hopefully the closer it is to here the better' said Penny

'Ok perhaps we can have a look tomorrow afternoon' said Raj

'Oh thank you Raj you are a star, I couldn't of done any of this without you' said Penny

'Penny its fine, I am happy to do something like this'

'Let me look on the internet now and see if anything is available and we can make an appointment for tomorrow afternoon' said Penny

'Sure' said Raj

Penny began searching and after much looking found an apartment on Magnolia Avenue only 3 miles away and with Raj's approval made an appointment to see it Tuesday evening

_**Meanwhile over at 4a**_

Sheldon and Amy were very happy to see each other after 4 days apart and after a very long make out session in the bedroom had decided to go out for dinner, so they booked a table at their local Italian restaurant and had dressed up, with Amy wearing her blue dress and Sheldon in a grey shirt and black trousers

They left the apartment building and were walking to Amy's car when Amy heard a whimpering sound, looking around she saw a German Shepherd puppy on a lead tied up round a lamp post on the other side of the road, crossing over they noticed the puppy had a note attached to its collar saying it had been left there for anybody to take

'Sheldon what do you think we should do, we can't leave it there and it looks like it's only a few months old' said Amy worrying about it

'You are right, maybe we could take it to the local rescue centre' said Sheldon

'Yes but look at her, although she is whimpering a little she is very quiet and if we take her there it could take a long time before she is re-homed' said Amy walking closer to the dog and putting her hand out for the dog to sniff it which it did by licking Amy's hand

'See Sheldon she is very friendly, we can train her up as well' said Amy

Amy could see Sheldon was thinking about it very hard, she also knew Sheldon wasn't keen on dogs but then Sheldon got closer to the puppy and could see nothing to be scared of

'Ok lets take her to the vet and we tell the truth about how we found her but that we are going to keep her, also we don't know if she has been micro chipped, vaccinated or neutered yet' said Sheldon

'Oh thank you Sheldon' said Amy standing back up and kissing and hugging Sheldon

'It's just as well she isn't a Pit-bull because all those things would have to be done by law in the state of California' said Sheldon

Amy looked confused

'How and why would you know that Sheldon?

'Amy you know me, I am full of thousands of facts and at anytime they can be used' said Sheldon

'I see, lets get the puppy in the car' said Amy

'I have to ask Leonard if it is ok as well though Amy so don't get too excited yet' said Sheldon

'That's fair enough Sheldon, come on little puppy lets get you into my car and Sheldon will go and see Leonard' said Amy as she picked her up and walked to the car with her

'Perhaps the puppy could be like training for when we have a family' said Sheldon

Amy looked at Sheldon in surprise and nodded before he went back in the building

Sheldon walked back into the building and cursing the broken lift quickly walked up the stairs to his apartment, and upon seeing Leonard working on his laptop he asked Leonard for a moment

'Leonard, Amy and I have just found a little puppy tied up outside, it looks like she has been dumped, but Amy has fallen in love with it, how would you feel about us keeping her here? Asked Sheldon

'I have no problem with it Sheldon, can I see it first though? Asked Leonard

'Yes Amy has put her in her car ready to take to the vets' said Sheldon

'Ok let's go' said Leonard as they left the apartment and walked down the stairs

'You know it's about time the Landlord sorted the elevator out, I don't see any reason why it's still broken after all these years' said Sheldon

'I agree, though as I was the reason for it being broken, I think I will stay quiet about how it happened' said Leonard

'It can't cost that much to repair it surely, maybe I will speak with him about it' said Sheldon

By now they had got outside and seeing Amy in the car playing with the puppy Leonard agreed they could keep her

'Thank you Leonard, Sheldon and I have not eaten yet, could you order us our usual Chinese, we can have it when we get back, we wont have time now to go to the Italian restaurant we had booked' asked Amy

'Yes that's not a problem Amy' said Leonard as Sheldon passed him some money to pay for the Chinese

They arrived at the local vets and after a short wait, where the puppy made friends with another dog, the vet vaccinated and micro chipped the puppy then told Amy and Sheldon they would keep her in overnight just to make sure she was well hydrated and fed and told Amy to come back tomorrow at 3pm after he had neutered the dog, he also estimated that the puppy was likely to be only 5 months old

'Come on Sheldon there is a pet superstore open in Pasadena town centre, we can get a bed, a collar with a name tag and a proper harness lead rather than them horrible collar leads which choke their necks' said Amy as they got back into the car and drove to the store

'Ok have you thought about a name for the dog? Asked Sheldon

'Well as Leonard has agreed to us keeping her then I think he should have a say as well, perhaps we could suggest some names when we get in' said Amy

They entered the store and found a suitable harness lead, two soft beds, one for the living room and one in the bedroom and some toys for the puppy also and a selection of puppy food that the vet had recommended she has

Upon arriving back at the apartment block, Sheldon noticed Steve the landlord caretaker sweeping the foyer and stopped to talk to him

'Excuse me Steve but when are you going to fix the elevator? Asked Sheldon

'Well as nobody has complained about it, I have not bothered' said Steve

'But its been broken for more than 7 years, perhaps I should call Pasadena City Council to complain about the lack of maintenance in the building' said Sheldon looking pointedly at Steve

'Oh Sheldon you don't need to do that, I can arrange for it to be fixed by the end of the week, I may have to lie a little bit though, I don't want lose my job over this' said Steve

'Thank you Steve' said Sheldon as he started to move upstairs before being stopped with a question from Steve

'By the way, do you know anybody that would want to rent 5b? The tenant was evicted this morning for non payment of rent, it's available straight away and it's fully furnished' said Steve

Amy remembered the conversation she had with Penny about her sister and spoke up

'Yes, Penny's sister is coming over to work with her, perhaps she would be interested, I can ask her if you like' said Amy

'Thank you' said Steve as he continued to sweep the very clean floor

When they got to their landing, Amy told Sheldon she was just popping into see Penny and she wouldn't be long

Knocking on Penny's door she waited a moment before Penny opened the door

'Hi Ames, you ok? Come in' Said Penny

Raj was still there with Penny and Amy noticed the plans on the table

'Yes I won't take long, I can see you are both busy, the landlord just mentioned 5b has become available if you want it for your sister'

'Oh that would be better than the apartment we just found as that's 3 miles away' said Penny

'Well he is downstairs in the lobby if you want to catch him, by the way we are getting a puppy'

'How did that come about? Asked Penny

'I found it tied up outside, Sheldon and Leonard agreed we could keep her and she is at the vets now ready to be neutered tomorrow'

'Oh Cinnamon will have a play mate' said Raj clapping his hands excitedly

'That will be nice but this puppy is going to grow a lot bigger and stronger than Cinnamon will probably be able to cope with Raj' said Amy

'What do you mean? Asked Raj

'Well it's a German Shepherd puppy but I will take it to training classes and its not going to be one of those mad crazy out of control dogs you see, she will be gentle and loving' said Amy

'Cinnamon loves all dogs so they will get on fine, perhaps after we get back tomorrow from Rodeo Drive, they could be introduced to each other' said Raj

'Yes that sounds ok, how are the plans going by the way? Asked Amy

'Well my sister has said yes and is coming over on Wednesday and we are going to view a store tomorrow for rental and we shall go from there' said Penny

'Ok I will let you get on then' said Amy

'Perhaps on Wednesday when my sister gets here, we can all have dinner next door?' said Penny

'I will let Sheldon and Leonard know or you could come over after you have finished?' said Amy

'Ok I will do' said Penny

As Amy left the apartment Penny got up and addressed Raj

'Raj come with me and we can see Steve about the empty apartment'

Penny found Steve in the laundry room cleaning the machines and asked him about 5b

'Steve I hear that 5b is available? Could I rent it for my sister?

'Yes, as long as she pays her rent on time, I don't see a problem with that' said Steve

'I can pay you 3 months rent upfront now, said Raj

'Ok that works for me, let me finish up here and I will drop the key off later for you Penny and a tenancy agreement, if you give me her details I can add all that on' said Steve

After confirming to meet at 8am the next morning Raj left and Penny skyped her sister again

'Hi Nat, I have good news, the apartment above mine has become available and I have secured tenancy for you' said Penny

'Oh wow, that's fantastic, thank you so much' said Natasha looking happy

'Raj has paid three months rental on it, so once you are working and earning then you will be able to pay for it yourself, the apartment is fully furnished so I guess in time you can get your own stuff but it will do for now' said Penny

'Ok I will see you on Wednesday then, by the way dad is very proud of you, mum made him watch the HSN channel to see your broadcast and he was very impressed as are the rest of us' said Natasha

'Thank you, I will pick you up from LAX at 11am when your flight lands ok? Said Penny

'Sure see you then' said Natasha

Penny signed off and went over to 4a where they were eating Chinese and watching TV

'Hi Penny, we are just in the middle of a discussion about dog names, what do you think? Asked Amy showing her a picture she had taken of the puppy

'Oh she's very cute, maybe something like Rosie' said Penny

'Funny enough that's just what Leonard suggested' said Amy looking at them both in surprise

Leonard and Penny looked at each other and smiled while Sheldon jumped into the conversation oblivious of them staring at each other

'I do like Fudge but that's not really a girl's name' said Sheldon to nobody in particular

'Amy what name have you thought of? Asked Penny

'Daisy kind of suits her I think' said Amy

'Why don't you put the 3 names into a hat and the first one that is drawn, you will name the puppy that' said Penny

'No its ok, Amy you found her, you can choose' said Leonard affably

'Ok Daisy it is then' smiled Amy 'Penny didn't you want to ask the guys something?

'Yes, I'm sure Amy has told you about my plans' said Penny as the guys nodded in acknowledgment 'But my sister is coming over to manage the store and will be renting 5b as it just became available today, also I would like to introduce you all to her on Wednesday when she gets here' said Penny

'Yes that's not a problem Penny, we can have Pizza or something' said Sheldon as Leonard nodded in agreement

'Ok great I will see you all then' said Penny as she got up to leave the apartment

'Ok good, see you later Penny' said Amy

Penny went to bed later that evening feeling excited about the following day

_**Next Chapter will follow shortly**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**Hope you enjoyed the last chapter**_

_**Tuesday morning**_

Penny woke up early excited to go and view the store available, noticing it was very warm outside and she also wanted to dress appropriately she wore a black skirt with a red blouse and her trusty 4 inch heels, putting a Penny Blossom in hair for luck, she also had a large leather wallet with her ideas and plans in

Because she was feeling excited and nervous, she made herself a small breakfast of scrambled egg and toast with tea and finished off getting ready to go out

Raj arrived to pick Penny up at 8am and they drove to Rodeo Drive to meet the realtor agent at the available store unit

Parking at a nearby Car Park, they met the realtor agent outside the store, Penny felt intimidated by the whippet thin lady with perfect hair but that soon went, when the lady addressed them

'Hello my name is Esther and I am here to show this store today' said Esther shaking both their hands

'Hi I am Raj, we spoke on the phone yesterday and this is Penny my business partner' said Raj

Esther looked at Penny for a long time trying to figure where she knew her from

'Sorry to be so rude for staring at you like that, but have you recently been on television? I'm sure I know you from somewhere' said Esther to Penny

'Yes I am currently on the HSN advertising my Penny Blossom flowers' said Penny pointing out the item in her hair

'Oh of course, you were very convincing and I have bought a couple for myself and my daughter, is that what you are going to do here? Asked Esther opening up the store and letting them in

'Well we have plans to stock clothing and accessories with the Penny Blossom flower printed onto everything, like an exclusive range' said Penny opening her leather wallet and showing Esther her ideas and plans

'That looks very interesting and it's good to see young designers making a name for themselves' said Esther

'Thank you' said Penny noticing for the first time just how big the floor space was and started to get excited again

'Right now let me show you everything in the store, it is only one floor but the floor space is around 2000 sq feet, all the clothing rails and shelves have been left in place from the last occupier, there are dressing rooms towards the back as well and behind that a staff area with 2 offices and a kitchen and bathroom, also if you are going into the business of having personal shoppers, there is a small waiting area for them over here' said Esther showing them around

Penny noticed how clean and fresh everything looked

'Has it recently been painted? Asked Penny looking to Esther

'Yes, the last occupier left 2 weeks ago so I organised a quick clean up to make it look attractive for potential new occupiers' said Esther

Esther left them alone to walk around themselves and went to the back of the store to make a call leaving Penny delighted with the amount of space and looking at Raj hopefully

'Raj this place is perfect and I really want us to have it' said Penny

'Its ok I like it too and I agree with how good it will be for the business, having an exclusive address will only draw in the customers' said Raj

Just then Esther returned from her phone call

'Have you decided yet? Because I have other people coming to see later on' said Esther

'Yes we want to rent it from you' said Raj

'Ok do you have a specific time plan for how long you plan to stay here? Asked Esther

'Well if we are successful then a very long time' laughed Penny

'I was wondering how much this particular store would go on the market for? Asked Raj

'Well because it is on Rodeo Drive its very expensive, there were units for sale around $50 million dollars last year but this one last sold for $25 million and that was five years ago' said Esther

'Raj you were right that we couldn't afford to buy then' said Penny

'Well I have an agreement here for you if you would like to go through it, as long as you are happy to pay the $30,000 a month rent' said Esther

'Yes I have a trust fund and I am using some of that to pay for 1 years rent upfront and then after that we should be making enough money to pay the rent from any profits we make' said Raj

'Well I can see how keen you both are and I will accept a years rent in advance if that is what you would like to do, the bank details are also on the form so you will need to fill those in and you should have the keys once the money has been transferred and your details are on our system' said Esther

'Thank you so much' said Penny

'Well I hope I get an invite to the opening, I would be very interested in buying something from you' said Esther

'Oh of course' said Penny

After the paperwork had been signed Esther told Raj she would be in contact as soon as possible to meet up with the keys and they left the building

Penny took Raj down Rodeo Drive to some of the more upmarket shops which had personal shoppers to show him how she wanted her store to look

'You see how some of the smaller items are displayed, they are all in glass cabinets that you cant touch, whilst I wouldn't go that far I would like people to able to touch and feel the items and I do like how the clothes on the rails are separate from each other, not touching' said Penny writing stuff down in her notebook

'Were you planning to do Men's stuff as well Penny? Asked Raj noticing the men's section

'Oh I hadn't thought about that, what do you think? Asked Penny

'Well I would buy a shirt with a Penny Blossom on it and maybe a tie as well'

'You are right, but I think we need to start small and see how successful we are with the women's section for now' said Penny

'You know if we are successful then we could rent another store just for the men items but that's a long way down the line yet' said Raj

It was nearing lunchtime so they found an Italian restaurant ordered lunch and carried on discussing plans

'Penny have you thought about whether you will open weekends? Most of these stores do' said Raj

'Yes I think I will open all day Saturday and then Sunday but not all day' said Penny

'You said Alex was interested in working at the weekends, you will probably need her to go on the managerial training course as well' said Raj taking a bite of his pasta Bolognese

'Oh yes of course, I think we will need to hire around 10 staff, if we go by how long we will be open for throughout the day' said Penny

'Ok that's another thing we can talk about as well, once everything is confirmed' said Raj

_**Later the same day**_

Amy and Sheldon had arrived at the vets to pick up Daisy after her operation and when she was brought out to them in the waiting area, the little puppy recognised them from the day before and wagged her tail excitedly and jumped about in Amy's arms

'Have you got a name for her yet? So we can update our details on the micro chip website' Asked the Vet?

'Yes we are going to call her Daisy' said Amy

'That's very nice, the operation went well and you wont need to be bring her back as the stitches are dissolvable and will go within a week or so, also you will need to bring her back for a booster injection when she is a year old, we would usually do it at 6 months but as she had everything done yesterday, she can afford to wait a while' said the Vet

'Thank you' said Sheldon

'She may be a little hungry but just feed her small amounts for the rest of the day and make sure water is available at all times for her' said the Vet

Amy and Sheldon left the vets with the puppy walking on the harness lead they had got and the puppy was happily sniffing all the plants and flowers alongside the road towards their car

They arrived back at their apartment block shortly after 4pm and went to their apartment where Leonard was, Raj was also there playing video games with him

'Hi Raj, here is our little Daisy' said Amy unhooking her from the harness and letting her free, Daisy wandered around the apartment and found her doggie bed which was by the right hand side of Leonard's armchair and rolled around in it

'She is lovely, I brought Cinnamon as well' said Raj indicating the sleeping dog on the sofa in between Leonard and Raj

'Ok lets introduce them' said Amy as Raj woke Cinnamon up and put her on the floor where Daisy now was, the two dogs sniffed each other and then raced towards the kitchen chasing each other around the kitchen bench and the rest of the apartment before they both stopped exhausted as they both got into Daisy's bed and curled up together

'Well I think that was successful' said Sheldon watching them

'Raj I forgot to ask, how was the viewing today? Asked Amy

'Yes it was very good, we will be renting the store and funny enough the realtor had seen Penny on the HSN and had bought a couple of blossoms, also I gave Penny the idea of also storing men's clothes as well but that will only come to fruition if we are successful' aid Raj

'Do you know how long before you can get into the shop and open? Asked Sheldon

'Well I have paid a years rent in advance so hopefully this week and I have to sort out suppliers, so probably about a month and that will give Penny time to train her staff and her sister' said Raj

'Where's Penny now? Asked Amy

'She said something about going up to 5B and making sure it was ready for her sister' said Raj

'Ok, Sheldon will you be ok to watch Daisy while I go and see her?

'Yes of course, she's happily sleeping right now so I don't think she will be any bother' said Sheldon

After knocking at Penny's and getting no answer, Amy walked up the stairs to 5b, the door was slightly ajar and Amy noticed Penny in the kitchen putting food away in the fridge and cupboards

'Hi bestie, how are things going?

'Hi Ames, everything is ok, I just stopped off at the store to get some essentials in for Natasha, she doesn't have any money and I have enquired about getting her a waitress job at the cheesecake factory and they have agreed to give her a job until we can start full time at the store'

'Ok do you want a hand putting things away?

'No its ok, I have a lot of nervous energy at the moment and I am trying to keep busy, though if you could take all the bedding stuff into the bedroom and make the bed up, that would be helpful' said Penny indicating more bags lined up in front of the bedroom door

'Congratulations on the store by the way, Raj just told me' said Amy

'Thank you Amy, I will take you to show it once it is all fitted out, I need to find out if Alex is serious about working there as well because she will have to go on a managerial course if she is going to manage the store at the weekend' said Penny

'Well I will invite her over tomorrow then when your sister comes for dinner and you can talk to her about it' said Amy reaching to pick up the bags

'Good idea, let me help you make the bed up, I'm nearly done here anyway' said Penny

'I wonder why everything was left? It's good though but usually the apartments are left empty' said Amy as they made quick work of making the bed up

'I have no idea but Steve said the last tenant has left the state anyway, he changed the locks as well so is there no chance of them coming back' said Penny

'What time is Natasha coming tomorrow? Asked Amy

'She's landing at 11am at LAX so I will bring her back here and help her get settled' said Penny

'Ok well I won't be in until at least 6pm because of leaving work early today to collect Daisy' said Amy

'Oh yes Daisy, let me come down with you and see her, I can finish up the little bits left over later, you know we had German Shepherds as guard dogs on our farm back home in Nebraska, they were definitely not petting dogs' said Penny as they left the apartment and went back down to 4a

'I don't think we will use Daisy as a guard dog, we want her to be a loving pet' said Amy as she opened the door to Cinnamon and Daisy barking at each other playfully and chasing each other around again

'Wow it's like a whirlwind of dogs in here' said Penny

'Yes I agree, Daisy come here' said Amy as the puppy stopped what she was doing and turned to Amy and ran towards her

'Well you can tell who her mummy is' said Sheldon as Penny bent down to play with the puppy and Cinnamon wandered over and wanted attention as well

After a few more minutes of rough and tumble with each other Amy broke them up

'Ok Daisy needs to rest a little bit she shouldn't be overexerting herself on her first day here' said Amy

'Your right Amy, Cinnamon come here' said Raj and the little Yorkie jumped back onto the settee next to him while Raj carried on playing his video game

_**Wednesday**_

Penny arrived at LAX in plenty of time and was waiting in the arrivals hall for her sister when she spotted her sister dressed in Jeans and a lurid Pink top with a trolley loaded up with several cases

'Hey sis, so glad to see you' said Penny as she gave Natasha a big hug

'Its not like you can miss me in this get up' laughed Natasha

'Come on lets get you to your new home' said Penny

They arrived at the apartment block shortly after midday and noticed there was two workmen fixing the elevator

'Oh thank goodness for that, it's been broken since before I moved in' said Penny as they started walking up the stairs with all the luggage

'You moved in ages ago, how comes they are just fixing it now? Asked Natasha

'Oh my neighbour Sheldon complained and the landlord said he didn't bother fixing it because nobody complained, which is a useless excuse if you ask me' said Penny

'With all this stuff we are carrying it would have been very useful' said Natasha

'I would ask the guys to help but they are at work' said Penny as they finally reached 5b,

'Here is your key, if you would like to do the honours' said Penny handing Natasha the key

Natasha opened up the door and was pleasantly surprised

'Its very colourful and I see it smells nice and clean' said Natasha

'Yes I had a quick run round this morning and I have stocked the fridge and cupboards with any essentials you may need and also you have a temporary job at the cheesecake factory starting on Friday if you want to earn a bit of money before starting at the store' said Penny

'Yes I can do that, have you arranged the training course yet? Asked Natasha as they both sat down on the settee

'No not yet, I have not had time, one other thing as you wont get paid from the Cheesecake Factory until Friday next week here is $1000 to tide you over until then' said Penny handing over the money to her sister

'Penny! I can't accept that, you and Raj have already done so much for me, what with him paying for the rent for 3 months'

'Natasha how else are you going to live with no money?' asked Penny quite reasonably

'Are you sure?

'Yes we have already had thousands of orders come in for the Penny Blossoms so I can use some of my own profit to do this

'Ok thank you'

'No problem, by the way we are having dinner with all my friends tonight'

'Ok, are you still seeing Leonard?

Penny looked stricken for a moment but it was enough for Natasha to notice

'Penny what's wrong? I'm sorry if I upset you' said Natasha as she put her arms around her sister

'No its ok, we have split up and it was all my fault' said Penny as she told Natasha the whole story

'The fact that they all want to stay friends with you despite what happened says a lot about how they value your friendship Penny' said Natasha

'Yes well Leonard is taking a lot longer to get around but we can at least be in the same room together and exchange pleasantries now and Amy still thinks of me as her bestie and I know I will never do something so stupid ever again' said Penny

Penny helped Natasha unpack her things and by the end of the afternoon they apartment was looking much more how Natasha liked it, Penny also took Natasha to the Cheesecake factory for a quick interview with the manager who agreed to give her the Friday evening shift for her first shift and the same on Saturday and Sunday

At 6pm they walked down to 4a where all her friends had just arrived and Penny introduced her sister to everybody

'Everybody this is Natasha' said Penny as she pointed out everybody to Natasha

'Penny do you think you could bring your armchair over, we have run out of seating here' said Amy

'Sure' said Penny as she quickly went and brought the chair over and sat next to Alex, whilst everybody acquainted themselves with Natasha

Raj had brought Cinnamon with him again and she and Daisy were playing together in the hallway by the bedrooms

'Alex are you definitely sure you want to work for me? Because if you are then I will need to include you on a managerial training course because I want you to manage the store at weekends and we will be offering Personal Shopper service' said Penny

'Yes I am very sure, I have always been interested in fashion and I wont let you down' said Alex

'Ok the next few weeks will be busy so I hope that Sheldon will be able to give you some time off to attend the course' said Penny, hoping Sheldon would hear

'Of course I will give her the time off, she has holiday due so she can use it out of that' said Sheldon

'Thank you, also Alex do you know anybody that wants to work in fashion?

'Yes my cousin works at Macys and I could ask her if you like? Said Alex

'Yes sure, thank you' said Penny as her phoned started to ring she noticed it was her manager so went to her own apartment to take the call where it was quieter

She came back a few minutes later after she has asked her manager to hire a publicist and explained the reasons why

The rest of the evening was a success and when the group heard that Natasha was working at the cheesecake on Friday they decided that they would help her out by going on Friday instead of having Chinese Food and vintage video game night

_**Next chapter will include the opening of the store and other things**_

_**Though it may take a few days**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Thank you for the follows and reviews**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Thursday**_

As Penny had two weeks hiatus from her web series, Raj had also taken a few days off to help Penny with the store plans and they were in Penny's apartment discussing their business plan, they were also dog sitting Daisy as everyone at 4a was at work and Amy didn't want her to be left alone for too long

'Penny I know you want to open in about a month but we have to be realistic, there is so much to do that its unlikely we will be open for at least 3 months at the earliest but at least everything will be ready in time for Christmas' said Raj

'Why will it take so long? Asked Penny feeling surprised at this development

'Ok first of all we need to source the fabric, then the seamstresses and then we need to get business permits, buildings insurance and employee insurance and these things can take time, the good thing is that the store has pretty much got everything set up already, unless you were planning some changes?

'No I think the customer area is perfect, the only thing I would like to do is turn one of the offices into a staff relaxation area for when they have breaks' said Penny

'Yes I think that is a good idea, we also need to get a finance plan in place and set a budget for things like wages, materials and anything else that may come up' said Raj

'Ok, last night I was looking up seamstresses and have printed off their details and if we are going to source fabric then I would rather go to the stores myself to do that, I want to feel and smell the cloth, do you know what I mean?

'Yes of course, we want to get the best that we can afford, also Esther rang earlier to say we can collect the keys at 4pm today' said Raj

'Oh that's great, maybe Natasha would like to come and see the store, I can see if Alex wants to join us as well, that way they can get a look at what we have' said Penny

'Yes that's fine with me' said Raj

'Then tomorrow we can go to the fabric stores, I shall look some of them up as well' said Penny

Penny then sent Natasha a text asking her to come down at 3pm and why, then text Alex asking if she wanted to come and if so to meet her at the store for 4pm and then took Daisy out for a quick walk before returning back to her apartment to get ready to leave

Meanwhile at UCLA Amy was using her lunch break to search the internet for things to do for Sheldon's birthday in 2 weeks time, she knew he didn't like parties but eventually found something totally unique that he would like, she also decided to speak to him once she got home that evening.

Penny was showing Alex and Natasha around the store

'Penny this is all great, I take it you know how you want things laid out in here? Asked Alex

'Yes although I left the plans at home but what I also want to do and that's for the staff, is turn one of the offices into a little rest area with a settee and television, I know people will need breaks so I want to make the area as comfortable as possible' said Penny as she took them to the staff area

'Who is going to be using the office? Asked Natasha

'Well as you and Alex are the managers, but as Alex is part time, I will task you with the weekly rota of staff and anything like that but obviously I will be coming in on the days I am not working on the web series' said Penny

'Ok, I keep meaning to ask if I can have a Penny Blossom? I will pay for it obviously' said Natasha

'Sure if you like, I can show you the workshop as well at some point but right now I am very hungry so lets close up and find somewhere for lunch' said Penny

Amy arrived home just after 6pm to find both Leonard and Sheldon home and both working on their laptops at their desks with Daisy spread out on the floor asleep between them, but as she saw Amy she woke up and ran around Amy wanted to be petted which Amy then did

Amy greeted Sheldon at his desk by standing behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck and gave him a lingering kiss

'Sheldon come and sit with me on the sofa for a minute, I would like to talk to you about your birthday' said Amy as Sheldon got up and walked with her

'I hope you have not got any surprise parties lined up, you know I don't like that sort of thing'

'No of course not, instead why don't we go to the Zoo and then have afternoon tea at the Four Seasons in Beverley Hills, I know you don't want a fuss but I would like to do a little something for you' said Amy

'That's very thoughtful Amy, I would like that very much indeed, Leonard would you mind looking after Daisy for the day?

'No of course not, she is very manageable' said Leonard as he turned round from his desk and Daisy jumped into his lap

'Thank you Leonard, Sheldon do you want to come for a walk with me and Daisy? Asked Amy as she motioned for Daisy to join her

'Yes why not, Penny left a note saying she brought Daisy back at 3pm as she and Raj went to the store and that they took Daisy out just before then' said Sheldon

'Ok, Leonard you know when we go away in May would you be ok looking after Daisy? She will be double the size by then but we can also ask Raj to take her out with Cinnamon a few times if that helps' asked Amy as she put Daisy's harness on

'Amy that will be fine, we can work something out nearer the time' said Leonard

They left the apartment and walked down the stairs and when they arrived at the lobby area, Steve was there with another man by the lift

'Hi Sheldon, the lift is almost fixed, the entire thing has been replaced and we are just testing it now' said Steve

'That's good to know but you should have done this years ago without having to be told' said Sheldon irritably

Steve stayed silent on the matter and got into the lift with the engineer

Sheldon and Amy left the building and walked towards the local dog park hand in hand with Daisy excited about her walk and yapping at everything she saw. When they arrived at the dog park, they found a bench and Amy unclipped Daisy from her harness and let her run around with the other dogs

Sheldon brought something up he had been thinking about for a while

'Amy whilst we are alone I would like to say something, some time in the future it will be necessary for us to move to a house which as you know is already in our plans, now you work at UCLA and that is a long distance for you to travel from here, so once we start looking for a house I would like it to be somewhere closer for you, so I have been looking and I think Westgate Village would be perfect as it is almost equal distance between our universities'

'Sheldon are you sure? Because I have no problem with the commute' said Amy not taking in the reasons why

'Yes I am sure, I am thinking of the bigger picture here, we may have children in the future and I'm sure you would like to work closer to home than you are now' said Sheldon

'Yes I can see you are right, what made you think of Westgate Village? Asked Amy keeping an eye on Daisy who was playing with some other dogs

'Amy I did a lot of research into the area and some of that area has gated communities and I would like our future potential children to be safe, also I should probably start taking driving lessons, I always said I was over evolved but I cant keep on relying on everybody to ferry me around' said Sheldon

'You do think of everything don't you' said Amy smiling at him

'I always like to be prepared' said Sheldon putting his arm around Amy and leaning into kiss her, Amy responded enthusiastically to the kiss until Daisy appeared in front of her barking

'Come on lets go back, do you want to go our for dinner or stay in tonight? Asked Sheldon

'Lets stay in and get a takeaway, we are going out tomorrow to support Natasha and we have the fundraiser even on Saturday so we may as well make the most of staying in, the next few days are going to be busy' said Amy

When they arrived back Sheldon brought up the subject of driving lessons

'Leonard you remember when you all taught me how to drive using the simulated version'

'Yes?

'Do you know where all the equipment is? I have decided I can practice and when I feel confident enough I will probably go on an intensive driving course' said Sheldon

'Wow what brought that on?

'Well as I said to Amy I don't want to have to rely on people all the time to be driving me about' said Sheldon

'Ok, would you like me to take you out a few times and teach you? Asked Leonard

'Oh no, I have seen stories about that sort of thing, it's what ruins friendships and relationships' said Sheldon

'I'm quite sure that it wouldn't ruin ours but I see your point, I can ask Howard to bring over the equipment next time he comes here if you like

'Thank you Leonard, you are a good friend'

_**Friday **_

Penny had searched the internet the night before and had found some fabric companies which sold the sort of thing she was after, she also ordered a selection of samples but also wanted to go in store and actually see the fabrics, so she and Raj were in one of the stores looking at everything available and choosing from a different selection of Cashmere, Silks, Velvets and Suede styles

She had also made an appointment with a seamstress company for the following week to talk about her plans for the clothing style she wanted and they had asked her to bring her samples with her

Penny was finding Raj to be extremely knowledgeable about setting up in business and even for things that she couldn't remember needed doing

'We also need to find a sign fitters for the shop sign Penny'

'Oh yes, I shall do that later, I don't think that should be too hard to do, is there anything else? Because I cant think of anything? Asked Penny

'We do need to think about salaries at some point as well, are we all still on for the Cheesecake Factory tonight?

'Yes of course, we can all give Natasha some support because from my own experience I think she will need it! Said Penny

As it was Natasha's first night at the cheesecake factory the manager had given her a few easy tables and then when Sheldon and everybody else arrived she was assisigned their table, Penny had already warned Natasha in advance of Sheldon's meal so Natasha had informed the chef.

The manager was impressed with Natasha and asked if she was available for more than just the weekend shifts which she was, especially now Penny had told her that it could be 3 months before the store opened

_**Saturday**_

The joint fundraiser was held at a local hotel and as the group arrived Sheldon and Amy were spotted by President Siebert and Dr Carter who took them aside

'Dr Cooper and Dr Fowler thank you for coming, I know you are both reluctant to appear but as you both know, the universities rely heavily on investors, I will introduce a few of them to you both and I hope you manage to succeed' Siebert then left them and walked off with Dr Carter

Amy could see Sheldon was not happy but then she spotted Leonard with Ms Latham in the far corner

'Sheldon it could be worse, you could be Leonard' said Amy as she pointed out the scene

'I do hope she goes easy on him, last time he came home he could barely walk' said Sheldon taking a glass of orange from a passing waiter

'You don't think he will have to sleep with her again to get the money? Asked Amy who was looking shocked at Sheldon's suggestion

'For his sake I hope not' said Sheldon as he saw President Siebert waved him over towards him

Mrs Latham and Leonard were getting on very well

'Leonard let me put you at ease straight away, I will be donating money towards your university as normal without a repeat of what happened last time and the reason why is that I have recently remarried' said Mrs Latham pointing out a man talking to President Siebert

'Thank you, anything you can donate is always appreciated' said Leonard

'You are a sweet young man Leonard, I have also persuaded my husband to donate a large amount' said Mrs Latham

Sheldon was fed up with being paraded round the room and Amy seeing this had take him out to the hotel gardens to get some space and fresh air

Meanwhile much later President Siebert was extremely happy with the events of the evening, he had received donations for both universities to share a million dollars each

_**2 weeks later**_

Penny had heard from the seamstress company that all the items would be ready by early November and all the permits and insurance forms had been sent off for so they had decided that all going well the store would open as planned towards the end of the November

Penny and Raj had also begun interviewing likely candidates and had decided to go through a specialist employment agency who had sent them only experienced retail staff, she had also lined up the management training course for Natasha, Alex and herself to go on

Sheldon woke up on his birthday spooning Amy and to the smell of waffles coming from the kitchen, Amy sensing movement woke up

'Good morning Sheldon, happy birthday' said Amy turning around and kissing him passionately on the lips and then wrapping her legs around his, Sheldon pulled her closer to him and continued kissing her and running his hands over her body until Amy stopped suddenly

'Amy that is a perfect way to wake up' said Sheldon smiling at her

'You will find your gift even more perfect' said Amy as she reached over to grab something from her nightstand

'Who is cooking if you are in here? Asked Sheldon

'Leonard is cooking you a birthday breakfast and I am going to help him in a minute, now your gift is unusual but I know its something you like to do, so here it is' said Amy handing over a white packaged envelope

Sheldon opened the package and took out the contents and then on reading what it was, Sheldon found himself to be grinning from ear to ear

'How did you manage to get me a lifetime supply of brain scans? Asked Sheldon

'Oh it was very easy' said Amy not elaborating any further

'Well it is very much appreciated Amy thank you' said Sheldon kissing Amy again and pulling her on top of him where she started grinding against his arousal and kissing him until there was a banging on the door

'Breakfast is ready!' said Leonard

'Darn it, I can't go out there looking like this' said Sheldon pointing to his erection through his pyjamas

'Course you can, I will leave so as not to distract you so much and just give it a minute and you will be fine' said Amy kissing him again

'You are a little minx!

'I know!, See you in the kitchen' said Amy leaving the bedroom

Sheldon appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later to find Leonard and Amy serving up breakfast which Leonard was laying in bowls Buffet style

'Happy birthday Sheldon, hope you enjoy breakfast' said Leonard handing him a card and gift which Sheldon quickly unwrapped

'Oohh it's a Star Trek style dressing gown, thank you Leonard'

'Your welcome, by the way everybody has left gifts for you, so its up to you if you want to open them now or after breakfast' said Leonard

'I think breakfast first' said Sheldon taking a plate and helping himself to waffles, sausages, bacon, eggs and a side plate of muffins

'Sheldon as you know I have arranged for us to go to the Zoo but also for you to be able to feed the Koalas but we need to be there by 12pm' said Amy

'Thank you Amy I will look forward to that' said Sheldon smiling at her

'Well you did the same for me with the monkeys and that was rather fun but with the koalas you will be able to enter the actual enclosure'

'That does sound like fun Amy, what time are we having afternoon tea?' said Sheldon

'330pm so we will have plenty of time at the zoo and then to drive straight to the hotel

Some time later after they had eaten and showered they were ready to go, Leonard had taken Daisy out for a walk and was meeting Raj at the dog park with Cinnamon

They arrived at the Zoo and Amy took them straight to the koala exhibit, where a keeper was waiting for them

'Hello thank you for coming, my name is Sarah and I am in charge of the Koala exhibit now you will be allowed into the Koala enclosure but please don't make any sudden movements while inside as they are easily spooked, the male koala is not inside the enclosure but you will be able to see the females and perhaps touch them if they allow you to' said Sarah

The keeper then unlocked the door to the exhibit and let Sheldon and Amy go in where two Koalas were sitting on a low shelf watching them

'If you would like to take some Eucalyptus leafs and pass them to the bears, they should take them gently from you' said the keeper

Sheldon took a bunch of leafs and walked slowly to the koalas and noticed that one of the koalas had its paw out ready for him and took the leafs and nibbled delicately at them

'Oh that's cute Sheldon' said Amy

They spent another 10 minutes feeding the Koalas before going round the rest of the Zoo before leaving and driving to the Four Seasons hotel where Amy surprised Sheldon by announcing that she had packed his swimming shorts and a swimming costume for herself and that they were going to spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool and bar which Sheldon thoroughly enjoyed especially as they managed to have the Jacuzzi all to themselves

'Amy thank you for a lovely day, I know I don't like a fuss but you have made it perfect and I love you for that' said Sheldon

'I am glad you enjoyed it and when we get home you can open the rest of your gifts from our friends and a special one you can unwrap in the bedroom' said Amy winking at Sheldon suggestively

'Amy Farrah Fowler you really are a vixen!

_**Thank you to INWHATUNIVERSE for the birthday gift idea**_

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Cheers for reviews and follows**_

_**The next few chapters will be jumping ahead in time**_

_**3 Months later mid November**_

It was Friday the day before Penny was due to open her store, everything was ready and she and Raj had done extensive advertising to get people to notice, Penny herself had appeared in adverts on the HSN and Entertainment tonight and also the director of web show that she was appearing in had agreed to have adverts at the beginning and end of the show, they had also decided not to have a press day but to just open the store at 9am on Saturday morning

Raj had also paid for a billboard poster in Beverley Hills and for Radio Ads and she had roped in Amy and Bernadette as well as Natasha and Alex to deliver leaflets advertising her store to the more affluent areas of Los Angeles. They had hired the necessary amount of staff and Natasha and Alex were trained up ready to be managers and the plan for Saturday was that they would both work on Saturday along with Penny to get a feel for the job, Penny had also managed to hire four ladies who had worked in Personal shopping for a long time and some more experienced retail staff and she was feeling confident everything would work out well

Friday evening everybody was due at 4a for their regular Chinese food and vintage video game night and when they all got there only Sheldon and Amy were missing

'Where are Sheldon and Amy? Asked Raj

'They said they would be here soon, they were being very mysterious about it all and asked me to picked up all the food' said Leonard

'Penny are you all ready for your store opening? Asked Bernadette

'Yes and I have something to ask you all when they get here' said Penny

'Can't you tell us now? Asked Bernadette

Just as Penny was about to answer, Sheldon and Amy walked in along with Daisy who upon spotting Cinnamon in her bed went and sat down next to her

'Hi everybody sorry we are late, we had some business to attend to' said Amy

'What sort of business? Asked Penny curiously

'I will let Sheldon tell you all seeing as it involves him' said Amy

'Ok the only person that knows I was planning to do this was Leonard but he didn't know when, today I passed my driving test and Amy and I were just out buying a car for myself' said Sheldon

'I thought you said you were too evolved for driving? Asked Howard

'Yes I did but circumstances change and I am thinking about the future as well and I don't want to rely on people anymore' said Sheldon

'Well I think congratulations are in order anyway, so here's to Sheldon' said Leonard as he raised a glass which everybody followed

'Penny didn't you have something to ask us all? Asked Bernadette

'Yes, as you all know tomorrow is the opening of my new store and I would like if you can to come and see it now it's all finished' asked Penny

There was a general moan from all the men in the group except for Raj but Amy and Bernadette said yes as Natasha and Alex would be working anyway

'If you guys don't want to go why don't you go play paintball instead? Asked Amy

'Oh that's a good idea' said Sheldon as Amy's Skype on her laptop which was in her bedroom started to ring so she went to answer it and returned with her laptop in her arms

'Sheldon I wont be able to come paint ball as I am going to the store for the opening' said Raj

'We may as well go Sunday as planned then' said Sheldon as he noticed Amy walking back into the living room

'Sheldon I have somebody for you' said Amy not showing him the screen

'Who is it? Asked Sheldon

'It's your mother Shelley' said Mary from the laptop, Amy then gave the laptop to Sheldon

'Hi Mom how are you?

'Oh I'm fine, I tried to ring your Skype but I got no answer' said Mary

'That's because my laptop is switched off' replied Sheldon

'Well it's a good job Amy's was on then, now have you been to church this year?

'No mom I haven't' said Sheldon waiting for the inevitable speech

'Well then why don't you and your little girlfriend come here to Texas for Christmas and we can go to church together, your Meemaw misses you Sheldon and wouldn't you like to do that Amy?

'Well it would be nice of course but Sheldon what do you think? Asked Amy

'Ok mom I will let you know when we are coming' said Sheldon

'Good now how about the rest of you, what are you all doing? Asked Mary to rest of the group

'Hi Mrs Cooper, I am flying my parents and brother here from Nebraska and putting them up in a hotel and they will stay for 2 weeks' said Penny

'Penny I hope you will save me one of your gorgeous dresses I see you are selling'

'Oh of course, Sheldon can bring it with him when he comes' said Penny as Sheldon scowled at her

'Why have I got to bring it, why can't you send it by courier' asked Sheldon

'Because you are going anyway' said Penny

The rest of the group then told Mary what they were doing apart from Leonard

'Leonard are you going to see your family? Asked Mary

'No not since my parents split up they both try to guilt trip me into spending time with them and I cant be bothered with all that, so I will be spending Christmas with Howard and Bernadette said Leonard

'Well if you like you have an invitation from me to come with Sheldon and Amy to Texas and experience a Christmas you will never forget' said Mary

'Well that's very nice of you Mrs Cooper, I will let you know in due course' said Leonard

'That's fine Leonard you are Sheldon's best friend after all' said Mary

'Mom we also have Daisy to think of, would you be ok with us bringing her? Asked Sheldon as he called Daisy over to the laptop

'Oh isn't she gorgeous, hello Daisy' said Mary to the dog, Daisy just looked around confused

'Of course you can bring her that's not a problem' said Mary

'Actually if you like I can look after her' said Raj 'She and Cinnamon get on so well together'

'We will see, I am not going to make a decision now' said Amy

'Oh mom by the way I passed my driving test today and I bought a car'

'Well done darlin, you can drive us around when you get here then' said Mary

'Sure' said Sheldon

'Now I have to go but lots of love to you and remember Jesus loves you all' said Mary as she signed off

'Well that was interesting' commented Penny adding 'Sheldon I think you may have missed a hint from your mom that she wants a dress for Christmas'

'Oh, well how was I to know that? Asked Sheldon

'Don't worry I will find out what sort of dress she wants and then I will send it gift wrapped by courier from of both of us' said Amy

'Amy that's great thank you, but also how am I going to get out of going to church, I hate church' said Sheldon folding his arms and pouting

'Oh Sheldon you will be fine, you don't have to do anything when you are there, just showing up for your mother will please her' said Amy

'Amy you do realise also when we get there, we will have to sleep in separate rooms, whilst my mother accepts our relationship, in her words "there will be no sinning under my roof" going on' said Sheldon

'Well technically we haven't actually sinned yet but that's ok, I will respect your mother's wishes' said Amy

'Thank you Amy'

'Sheldon I will let you know about coming to Texas but if I don't come then I will be happy to look after Daisy' said Leonard

'Very well, now that's out the way, I think we can get to playing some games' said Sheldon

The girls decided not to play and went over to the kitchen area with their food and chatted about the store

'Penny how are you feeling about tomorrow? Asked Amy

'Very excited and going from the emails we have received from people saying that they will be visiting the store this weekend I am expecting to be very busy which will stop me worrying so much' said Penny

'What's to worry about, you have hired all the right people and you have all the stock, you will be a success Penny' said Bernadette

'I hope so because Raj has put a lot of money into this project and I want it work for him as well as me'

'It will work Penny, Raj would not of invested in this if he didn't think it would' said Natasha

'Ok I get it, I need to stop worrying! Alex and Natasha remember you need to be at the store for 830am, I just want us to be as ready as we can be'

'Sure, is Raj going to be there for the opening as well? Asked Alex

'Yes but probably not going to be there all day like us' said Penny

_**Saturday Morning**_

Penny was the first to arrive at the store shortly before 8am, she knew things would be ok but she also couldn't help worrying, she checked the stock room to make sure they had plenty of stock and also she made sure the order book was at the tills, she knew people would probably want things altering and she had set up a contract with the seamstress company to do that

By 830am all the staff had arrived and everybody was chatting excitedly, Raj had also turned up as well, they could also see that there was a few people outside the store ready to come in as the doors opened

A 9am Penny opened the doors to the store and welcomed the first customers

'Hello and welcome to "Penny for your thoughts" if you would like any help please ask any of us here' said Penny finishing with a wide smile as she stepped aside to let people in

A few minutes later Penny was watching a lady who was absorbed in the smell and feel of some of the silk dresses, then a few minutes later she was then approached by the lady who wanted her as own Personal Shopper and not wanting to lose a customer even though she wasn't a Personal Shopper, she showed the lady to the waiting area got Alex to make her a drink and went and asked Christine who was the most experienced Personal Shopper assistant to accompany her

Some time later the lady left the shop in possession of a leather bag, 2 silk dresses and a skirt suit, she also promised to come back in the future

By the end of the first day they had quite a few sales and Penny was frequently being asked by customers to be their Personal Shopper which she had done happily, but which made her think about something and called for a meeting with the staff at the end of the day

'As you know I will only be able to be here at the most 3 days a week, now it seems a few people are asking me to be their personal shopper and that's fine but if people come in when I am not here, then I need you all to give them an appointment for the days I can be here or ask if they would be happy to see our other Personal Shoppers, these people are our most important customers and we cannot risk losing them' said Penny

'How do you think the first day went? Asked Natasha

'Oh I thought it went very well, I think out of the two of you only Alex works tomorrow, I will be here as well and Natasha you will need a day off before you start on Monday for the week'

'Are you planning to be open all day tomorrow? Asked Alex unsure

'I was going to open the same hours as today but I think if we open at 10 and finish at 4 that will be enough for opening weekend and I would like to thank you all for your hard work today' said Penny

Penny found she was enjoying working at the store, even though it wasn't in her original plan for her to work, so she was fitting it in around her webs show and on the Friday 2 weeks later, she had a meeting at 6pm at the Olive Garden with her manager Claire who looked after her acting and professional career

'Penny we have had requests for you to go on talk shows and also have some of your creations to go on the catwalk, how would you feel about that?

'Which talk shows have asked for me and why would they want me?

'Well the David Letterman show and Craig Ferguson show, their publicists have described you as the up and coming designer and actress of the year'

Penny started laughing at that

'Sorry but are you being serious? Asked Penny when she had recovered from laughing

'Yes, you have also been mentioned a lot in all the fashion magazines and you are all over their forums, have you not been taking much notice of these things?

'No, I have been very busy, but I would like to go on one of the talk shows and I presume they will be using Models for my clothing range?

'Yes but the catwalk thing isn't until January anyway, so if you like we can get planning for that but also what chat show do you want to go on?

'The Craig Ferguson I think, that will also wait until after Christmas, I am much too busy at the moment'

'Ok that's fine I shall let them know and get back to you, I have to go now as I have another client to see'

Penny arrived back at her apartment later that after her meeting then remembering it was vintage video game night went over to 4a and joined the group

'Hi everybody, I have some news that you all may like to hear' said Penny

'What sort of news? Asked Amy

'Well apparently I am the talk of the fashion world and I have been asked for some of my creations to be modelled on the catwalk to which I have agreed and also I have been asked to go on a talk show, a talk show can you believe it! Said Penny excitedly

'Oh well done, which talk show? Asked Bernadette

'Craig Ferguson's but I have asked them all to hold back until the New Year, I have far too much to do before Christmas' said Penny

'Oh talking of Christmas Penny, have you decided when you will be open? So I can put it on the website? Asked Raj

'Yes I have been thinking about that, we will be closed on Christmas Eve and reopen on Dec 27 and I will need to sort out who wants to work when' said Penny

'Well the University is closed at Christmas I will be able to work whatever days you would like me to' said Alex

'Penny even though our family will be here, I can work as well' said Natasha

'Thanks you guys, also I will try and get you all tickets for the chat show I am appearing on' said Penny

'Leonard by the way we will be leaving Daisy here when we go to Texas, I don't think its fair to put her through the flight and we will be gone only for a week' said Amy

'How does your mom feel about you staying such a short time Sheldon? Asked Leonard

'She is just happy to see us so doesn't mind too much, what I do mind is being unable to have Amy by my side at night but I will have to put up with it I guess' said Sheldon

'We can have plenty of opportunity to sneak off if we get the need Sheldon' said Amy kissing him passionately in front of everybody

'Oh get a room' said the group laughingly

_**Next Chapter will include Christmas and Penny's talk show interview**_


	30. Chapter 30

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**This chapter will be a little shorter than normal but the one after will more than make up for it**_

After Penny left her manager on Friday she wasn't expecting to hear from her for a few days and was surprised to get a call asking to meet on Sunday afternoon so Penny invited her to her apartment and Claire arrived shortly after 2pm

'Hi Penny I am glad you could see me at short notice, now I have arranged for you to go on The Craig Ferguson show on the 6th of January, this will be a recorded interview and shown the following week, also last night I heard back from the people who would like to model your clothes on the catwalk, they would like you to model them rather than a regular model'

'I really don't want to model, that's not what this has been about, I am happy to send some items for display but absolutely no modelling' said Penny firmly

'Very well, I can't change your mind, but also Anne from the HSN has informed me that your Penny Blossom range was the highest selling gross item in terms of sales for this year alone'

'Wow I obviously know how many we have sold but that has surprised me' said Penny

'Yes she also mentioned if you wanted to show any of your accessories from your shop then you can, were you planning on making more things like the Penny Blossoms?

'Yes I was thinking about bringing out a range of jewellery with the Penny Blossom motif on charms and on rings, I need to talk to Raj about it though as he is financing it all'

'Well that all sounds good Penny, I will be in touch if anything else comes up and I can ask around the Jewellery world to see if anybody would be interested'

'Thank you Claire'

Penny then sent Raj a message asking to meet him when he was available

Meanwhile at 4a Sheldon and Amy had just received emails from President Siebert requesting a meeting at 9am Monday morning at Caltech

'Sheldon what do you think this is about?

'I don't know but if I had to guess then probably just confirming where we will go on the work trip in 2015' said Sheldon

'Oh of course, Faisal wants us to go to some Universities in the middle east and Siebert was looking into it

'Oh I was hoping they would forget about it but no such luck' said Sheldon

'Well we have signed a contract after all' said Amy

_**Monday morning**_

Sheldon and Amy arrived at President Siebert's office and were let in by his secretary and asked to wait until he arrived a few minutes later

'Good morning Dr Cooper and Dr Fowler, thank you for coming, now the purpose of this meeting is to confirm the 2015 schedule, as you are aware Dr Fowler your donor Faisal had requested we visit Universities in the middle east and that is what we have now confirmed, I do have a suggestion though to both of you and I hope its not too personal' said Siebert

'Ok go ahead' said Amy as Sheldon nodded

'If you are planning on starting a family or have children by the time this trip goes ahead then we will arrange for you to have a nanny go on the trip with you to help'

'Oh thank you President Siebert but we don't know how soon we were planning that but it's good to know that you are willing to do that for us' said Amy

'Not a problem, now the Universities you will be going to will be in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Qatar and Yemen, now Faisal has said that he will provide security for you both on the trip'

'Why would we need security? Asked Sheldon

'Well as you know there is a lot of unrest in the surrounding areas and we wouldn't want you in any danger, Faisal will pay for all the security so that something we don't have to worry about'

'Why on earth are we going there if there is so much danger? Asked Sheldon

'Well Faisal has promised to donate large sum to our universities if we agreed to this' said Siebert

'Well can I have it for the record that I am very unhappy about this and If I wasn't locked into a contract I would refuse to go'

'Dr Cooper your safety is guaranteed and if in the meantime there are problems in the areas you go to then we will cancel'

'Thank you President Siebert' said Amy as they prepared to leave

'Amy I will walk you to your car' said Sheldon taking her hand and walking with her 'You know I am not happy about this middle east tour'

'I know but there isn't much we can do about it now, do you fancy going to the cheesecake factory tonight? Asked Amy

'Yes why not, even though I am trying to keep to a schedule, I think I can deviate it from it a little' said Sheldon

'Shall we see if the others can join us? Asked Amy as she reached her car and unlocked it

'Ok I can ask Leonard, Howard and Raj and you can ask the girls' said Sheldon

'Ok if we agree to meet there for 6pm would that be ok? Asked Amy

'Yes of course, now as much as I'd love to stay here with you, I don't want you to get behind on your work' said Sheldon

Amy responded by kissing Sheldon and hugging him for a few minutes

'See you later, love you! Said Amy as she got into her car and drove off

Sheldon saw his friends at lunchtime and decided to ask them about dinner

'Amy and I are going to the cheesecake factory tonight if any of you want to come? Asked Sheldon

'Actually that kind of works for me, Penny wants to have a meeting with me so I can arrange for her to meet me there' said Raj taking his phone out and sending a message

'What's the meeting about? Asked Howard

'Probably to do with work things, I don't know until I get there' said Raj

'Sheldon you can count me in and I have something to tell you and Amy as well' said Leonard

'Ok now I wish you hadn't said that, you know I don't like things being kept from me' said Sheldon

'Don't worry its nothing bad but I would just prefer Amy to be there as well' said Leonard

'Very well' said Sheldon taking a bite of his sandwich as Howard's phoned beeped with a message

'Well it looks like I will be coming as well, that was Bernadette telling me we are coming tonight'

'That's good it looks like all of us will be there then' said Sheldon

Later that day

Amy had agreed to meet Sheldon outside the restaurant to have a little private time with him and had got there at 545, she was waiting in her car when she saw him drive into the car park and park next to her, he got out of his car and into hers where she was sitting in the back

'Hello Amy, looks like we have everybody here tonight and also Leonard has something he wants to tell us both' said Sheldon

'Ok forget about that for a moment' said Amy as she put her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her for a kiss which became very intense until there was a bang on the door, they looked up and saw Penny grinning at them and quickly got out the car

'Way to go Shamy' said Penny laughing taking Amy's arm and leading her into the restaurant

They all sat down with Raj and Penny next to each other so they could discuss what Penny wanted to talk about and Leonard was on the other side of the table with Howard and Bernadette with Amy and Sheldon opposite them with Natasha and Alex at the ends of the table

'Leonard you said you wanted to talk to Amy and I? asked Sheldon as the waitress appeared and started taking orders.

'Yes I have decided to go and see my mother in New York for Christmas after all but I will come with you to Texas for a couple of days, providing that's still ok? Asked Leonard

'Leonard of course it is, I will be happy to have you there and my mother will be very pleased' said Sheldon excitedly

'Sheldon I think that means we will take Daisy with us, providing its still ok with your Mom of course' said Amy

Penny meanwhile was talking to Raj about her new ideas

'I am going to see if Claire can get me another slot on the HSN but not for a while, she is also going to help me find a jewellery company that would be willing to supply us with bracelets, necklaces and rings with the Penny Blossom motif on them'

'Once again Penny you have a great business brain, I do like the idea of that, were you planning on selling them in the store or through the Penny Blossom website' asked Raj

'Oh I think in the store but we can do both can't we? Asked Penny

'Yes it could be that we will get more sales that way' said Raj

'Yes also we need to organise the new range of clothing for spring, so I will go and see the seamstress company for ideas and in time we can slowly start phasing out what we have already' said Penny

'Penny are you sure you are not overloading yourself with all these things? Asked Natasha

'What do you mean? asked Penny

'Well its just that you have the store, the web series and the Penny Blossoms, how will you find time to oversee everything? Asked Natasha

'Oh its fine, the web series will be ending in the summer anyway and I can think about it then, I was asked to go on the catwalk and model my own outfits but I refused to do it, that's not what I am about, but I am thinking about the future, I spent so long not getting anywhere with my acting that I am going to make the most of it' said Penny

'You still want to do more acting? Asked Natasha

'Yes if I can, I know opportunities are not going to come easily but I have plenty to do in the meantime' said Penny

'Ok you know I am only asking out of concern for you, you have worked so hard recently' said Natasha

'I know but everybody in the store has worked hard and I will show my appreciation for that in December' wages' said Penny

'You really are a great sister! 'said Natasha

'I do my best' said Penny smiling at her

'Raj by the way I would like to thank you for paying for the rent for the first 3 months, can I take you out to dinner one night? Asked Natasha

'Sure but I had no problems doing it' said Raj

'Natasha if you want to do that then there is a great Chinese restaurant I can recommend' said Amy

'Oh thanks Amy' said Natasha as Amy wrote the details down on one of Sheldon's spare napkins which made Sheldon grumble but not for long as Amy got him a replacement one

Natasha and Raj agreed to meet up later that week for dinner and at the end of the meal the group slowly departed the restaurant to their homes

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Next chapter will be up immediately**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**This chapter is collaboration between **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** and myself, I**__**NWHATUNIVERSE**__** also wrote the whole chapter so a massive thank you to her and we hope you are pleasantly surprised**_

_**It**__**'**__**s also a very long chapter but it will be worth the read**_

Two weeks before Sheldon and Amy were due to fly to Texas for Christmas vacation, Sheldon was busy on the internet.

"Are you working today?" Amy said looking up from the Vogue magazine she was browsing through. "Hey look here is an ad for Penny's store" she said, holding up an exclusive ad that was sure to entice the elite.

Sheldon turned and quickly glanced and gave his raspy laugh. Turning back to the computer screen he continued his research. "Yes, it appears she is doing well. I won't be long. I just have a project detail that I have to take care of as it cannot wait."

Amy shrugged and continued looking through the magazine. She could not stop looking at Penny's ad. She got up and said "I am heading across the hall. I want to show this ad to Penny."

"Ok. I have to run grab our take out when I am done. I shouldn't be long" Sheldon said as he gave her a quick wave.

"Ok. I won't be long and will be ready for our meal when I return."

Amy went across the hall with magazine in her hand. Knocking on the door, Penny answered quickly. She had just gotten back home from helping out at the store. "Hey Ames, what's up?"

"Hey, Bestie; I just wanted to visit for a couple of minutes and show you something" she grinned.

Penny escorted her in and then Amy sat down, opened up the magazine and showed it to Penny. The two girls squealed at the four-page layout. They sat and chatted for a while, Penny relaying all about the clients that she had taken care of and asking Amy to pinch her arm. She still could not believe she was living this kind of life and wanted proof.

Meanwhile, back in the apartment, Sheldon made a few phone calls and was pleased with all that he had accomplished. His eyes twinkled with delight. He grabbed his keys and messenger bag, going out the door as quickly as he could. Skipping steps, he leapt down to the bottom floor and out the door.

Stopping at a store on the way to pick up their take-out meal, he made sure to pick up an order he had placed a few weeks earlier. Looking at the result, he was very pleased. Paying for the rest of the order, he placed the packaged items into his messenger bag then left the store to head to pick up their meal.

Upon returning, he managed to put down his messenger bag and placed the take-out bags on the counter. He went over to his messenger bag and pulled out the small bag that packaged his purchased items. Taking them to his room, he placed them inside of his suitcase in a private pocket. He would be packing his bag soon enough and he wanted to make sure to not forget the items he had just placed inside. He came back out and was beginning to unpack the take-out when Amy came back from across the hall.

"So did you hens have a good chat?" Sheldon asked.

Amy frowned at the comment, then looked over at him and could see that his eyes were dancing with delight. She was puzzled by his enthused look, answering his query "Yes. She was quite pleased with the layout. I am so proud of her, Sheldon. She has turned her life around so much."

"Yes, it appears she has" Sheldon confirmed although he seemed distracted and happy.

"What has got you so excited?" Amy was amused by his enthusiasm.

"Nothing, just thinking about our trip and how fun it will be for us to get away from Pasadena and not have rigid schedules to keep" Sheldon tried to hide the truth from her. He was never very good at lying.

"Uh, okay. Not that I believe a word of that, since you love to live by schedules, but I will let you tell me whatever it is that has you practically dancing in the streets when you are ready."

Meanwhile in Texas, Missy picked up the phone and called Penny's store. She asked for Alex. She explained what she wanted and how Alex must keep it completely confidential, not even tell anyone she worked with at the store about her order, especially not Penny. She was able to read off some specific information to Alex and then gave her details on what she wanted. Next she asked about a second item and described what she wanted. Finding that she could have it ready by the date she wanted, she arranged everything and completed her transactions.

In Penny's store, Alex called the head seamstress and gave her instructions on what was needed and the timeframe. Confirming that it could be accomplished, and shipped on time, Alex explained how confidential everything was and that the client's wishes must be met. The order was well under way by the end of the conversation and Alex would check on it the next day.

Back at the apartment, Sheldon and Amy completed their meal and were washing up. "Sheldon, I feel like you are hiding something from me. Whatever it is has you practically on Cloud 9. Care to share?" Amy was starting to let her curiosity get the better of her.

"I am just thinking about our trip, Amy. I got almost everything complete and am getting excited because the pressure of work has been lifted off of my shoulders. I completed the last task of the project earlier while you were at Penny's and now I feel like I can be free to just enjoy our time together with each other and family" Sheldon explained.

Just as he completed what he said, the phone rang. Picking it up, Sheldon immediately recognized the voice on the other end.

"Shelly, is Amy there? I wanted to ask her about her mother" Mary Cooper asked.

Sheldon handed the phone over to Amy. "It's Mom. She wants to ask about your mother" Sheldon shrugged.

"This is Amy" Amy said formally. She still wasn't sure what to say or call Mary Cooper.

"Amy dear, this is Shelly's Mama. Please just call me Mama C if you want, but you don't need to be so formal with me" Mary tried to put her at ease. "I am callin' ya, sugar because it occurred to me that your Mama might want you at her house for Christmas. Is there going to be any problem with that?"

"I haven't spoken to her to be honest. We don't usually do much for the holidays since it was always just she and I growing up, but I am not sure what she has planned" Amy admitted.

"Well sugar, do you think she would mind coming to Texas and joinin' us? I really would like a chance to meet your Mama and I hate the thought of her being alone on our Lord's birthday" Mary pleaded.

"I am not sure. I can give you her number if you want. Did you want me to call her?" Amy felt uneasy for some reason. The thought of her mother around people that she barely knew herself made her a little nervous. She was afraid her mother might mention Sheldon's early indiscretion when they first met on Skype.

"Let me just take care of it sugar, and you go enjoy your time with Shelly now. I really can't wait for you two to get here" Mary enthused.

"We are very much looking forward to coming as well. Well thank you and let me know if you need me to speak to Mother" Amy then quoted the number to Mary for her to jot down

"No problem, sugar. You go have fun now. Goodbye, sugar and I will see you soon." Mary closed the call and hung up before Amy could reply.

"Well that was odd. She wants my mother to come to Texas for Christmas" Amy told Sheldon as she continued to look at the phone.

"Are you uncomfortable with that?" Sheldon sensed she wasn't happy about it.

"A little bit. Maybe I should call Mother and warn her?" Amy suggested.

It might be a good idea" Sheldon agreed.

Amy called her mother and explained that she would be getting an invitation from Sheldon's mother to join the family for Christmas. She asked her mother to please not mention the foolish ploy they played on her when she first met Sheldon over Skype. Her mother agreed to keep that between them, but that she wasn't sure about going to a complete stranger's home. Amy reassured her mother that she should go because it would please Sheldon's mother and she wanted to make a good impression. Her mother finally relented and said that she would discuss it when Mary Cooper phoned her.

Sheldon thought to himself that he could not have asked for a more perfect set of circumstances fall so well into place. His mother's invitation to Amy's mother was a complete surprise to him but he felt it was perfect in a way. He smiled at how well things were falling into place.

The couple cuddled on the couch while watching TV, but Sheldon's mind was far from the program he had turned to. He pulled Amy closer and began to kiss her. Their kisses became more passionate and before long they were heading off to their bedroom.

Amy grabbed her night clothes and went into the bathroom to complete her nightly ablutions. Upon returning Sheldon traded locations and she crawled into bed as he was in the bathroom. He returned and she cuddled up next to him. They began to kiss again. Amy could feel his erection and began to grind up against him, Sheldon let his hands wander and played with her breasts, getting more and more turned on as her nipples hardened and stood to attention. He unbuttoned her top and began to kiss her breasts. He wanted her so bad

"Sheldon I love you so much and want you so much" Amy purred as he continued kissing her breasts

With great difficulty, Sheldon pulled himself away and rolled onto his back. Then he propped himself up on one arm and began to re-button her top. Amy looked over at him perplexed

"Amy you know that we are more than ready to make love" Sheldon started. Amy looked at him wide-eyed and nodded as he continued "But when we make love, I want it to be perfect. This is hard on me right now and I am quite certain you are going to find it difficult as well. But just trust me it won't be long now. Do you think you can wait just a little while longer?"

Amy looked and saw something that led her to reply " Sheldon you are worth the wait. As much as I want you now, I trust you even more, if you say to wait a little longer, then we will" With that she leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss and then snuggled up next to him. "Tell me a story" she asked

"A story? What do you mean?" Sheldon was now confused.

She snuggled in closer and said "You know, like a bedtime story, I haven't ever had anyone tell me a story. Even my mother wouldnt read to me as a child. She had me learn to read by myself"

Sheldon pulled her in closer and held back tears. He hated hearing how she had been forced into early independence. It made him appreciate his mother more and how she and his grandparents doted on him. He hadn't realized how good he had it until he met Amy and heard her stories. He swallowed the lump in his throat and finally replied. "Um…okay. Give me a minute to think of one"

It wasn't long before Sheldon began to tell Amy of a story of a Princess who grew up all alone. Food would appear but no affection had ever been shown to the Princess. She never knew who brought the food, but it would just show up inside her room each day and clothes would be laid out for her to change into each day. As she grew the princess not only had food and clothing left, but books, loads of books for her to look at. Eventually the Princess not only learned to read on her own but started to learn how to do everything on her own, but she was very lonely.

Amy began to wipe tears from her eyes. She could relate to the Princess. Sheldon continued to tell the story. The Princess grew up and became well known for her intelligence and wisdom. The kingdom looked to her for her brilliance yet no one wanted to befriend her. On day a Prince was with his two guards and they met the Princess. The Prince and she struck up a conversation and the Prince found himself drawn to her. He had never been one to care about women or men for that matter. He only enjoyed increasing his mind. So the Princess and the Prince began a friendship, but the Prince began to feel more for the Princess. He eventually asked her to be his Princess and his bride.

Amy had fallen asleep and was peacefully breathing as someone well into a deep slumber by the time Sheldon finished his story. He leaned his head on top of hers and joined her, falling into his own slumber. Both were dreaming about being the Prince and Princess in the story where Sheldon dreamed of himself as the Prince and Amy his Princess and Amy the same dream.

The two weeks went quickly. Sheldon and Amy were packed as well as Leonard who was going to go through Texas on his way to meet his mother in New York. He would be in Texas for two days before heading to New York. Sheldon looked over everything one last time. He was in the bedroom checking everything while Amy was sharing a cup of coffee and talking to Leonard in the kitchen. Daisy would be coming as well but would be put in a travelling crate at the airport. Sheldon moved the small package he had placed in his suitcase to his messenger bag. He didn't want any chances of it being lost. After his final check, he zipped up the bag and brought it out to the door where the other bags were waiting.

Amy's mother was also booked on the same flight and Leonard was sitting with her, while Sheldon and Amy were seated next to each other. They just had to wait for her to arrive before they would all take a limo to the airport together. As if reading his mind there was a knock on the door. Amy's mother stood on the other side and said. "I left my bag downstairs with a limo driver who said he was here and waiting, do you want me to take Daisy seeing as you all have bags"

"Yes please Mother" said Amy as she passed her mother the bag she had made up with Daisy's things in it and called Daisy to her.

Sheldon had paid the limo company extra for Daisy to be able to travel and had put a blanket on the floor of the limo for her to lie on. They all piled into the limo after their bags were tucked safely away in the trunk of the car. Once at the airport after taking Daisy to the correct area, they went through security, taking longer than normal because of the peso still tucked into Sheldon's nasal passage. Once they were at the gate, they were called almost immediately to board.

The take-off and landing were the hardest on Sheldon, but having Amy there to hold his hand and reassure him helped. Once they landed Sheldon was in a great mood. He would not only be able to show off his new driving skills to everyone but he could not wait for what lay ahead.

After collecting Daisy from the animal arrival area, who appeared to be fine after her first flight, they secured the rental car, everyone piled their luggage in the back and Amy sat up front with Sheldon while Leonard, Amy's mother and Daisy got into the back seat of the car. Sheldon checked all the buttons, mirrors and safety features of the car before starting the engine. Before they knew it they were turning onto the street where Mary Cooper lived.

Sheldon smiled as he looked up on the porch and saw that Mary, Missy and Meemaw were already waiting for them. He was so used to them being on the porch to greet him whenever he came home that he would have been shocked if they had not been there.

He pulled up slowly and then parked the car in front of the house. Turning off the engine, he opened the door as the group on the porch came squealing toward the car.

"Shelly, Amy you are here. Oh Hello Leonard I am so glad you were able to come for a couple of days. Hello I am Mary Cooper" Mary said all practically without a breath taken as she neared Amy's mother. She had already within seconds embraced Amy and Leonard and now pulled Amy's mother into a hug. Mrs Fowler was not used to such expressions and was a bit stiff but returned the hug to be polite.

"Hello I am Amy's mother, Barbara Fowler" she said as she pulled away as quickly as was polite from Mary's embrace "Thank you for inviting me to join you"

Missy ran up to Amy and hugged her and then handed her to Meemaw while she grabbed Shelly and pulled him aside. "Everything is ready, the package from California is here and no one suspects a thing"

"Good I must say Missy, I am proud to call you my twin. You have done very well" Sheldon smiled at her and allowed her to pull him into a hug "Did you manage the reservations for tonight?"

"Trust me that was probably my most difficult task, but yes, You know Mama she wanted to cook for an army but I finally convinced her that you insisted that we go out to thank everyone for allowing Amy's mom and Leonard to come"

'Good thanks, well move along or they will get suspicious" Sheldon whispered. She winked and went back over to the others to introduce herself to Amy's mother and talk to Leonard. Mewmaw came over and greeted Sheldon as the others started to head towards the house with Amy remembering to get Daisy from the car.

_**Later that day**_

Sheldon had double checked he had one of the packages he had packed in his messenger bag now securely in his pocket. He was dressed in a midnight blue suit with a blue shirt and a tie that was dark blue and sky blue stripes. Amy had on a matching blue dress that was flowing in the skirt to her knees. It had an ornate belt with jewel-like clasp at her waist and the top was form fitting, a modest scoop neckline and short sleeves that stopped just a couple of inches short of her elbows. She had on silver shoes and held a silver clutch to complete her outfit.

Amy wore her hair cascading down in curls and sweepingly pulled back on one side with a clip that was ornate with small faux-diamonds. She looked beautiful. When she finally came out of Missy's room with Miissy in tow, Sheldon's breath caught at the sight of her. "You look lovely" he said grinning ear to ear at Amy. Then realizing Missy was behind her he added "you both look nice."

'Thanks, Shelly, but I knew you meant it for Amy. She does look beautiful, doesn't she?" Missy smiled. She had helped Amy get ready and was quite pleased with the result. Missy was lovely as well in a brown cocktail dress that had gold accents. Her hair was likewise down, but more in keeping with how she normally wore it.

That evening the group all piled into two cars and head to a nice restaurant in town that Missy had managed to secure reservations for a private room setting on behalf of Sheldon's request. After everyone ordered their meals and beverages, there was light chatter going on. Sheldon began to get a bit nervous and Amy looked over at him and held his hand under the table. She leaned over and said "Is everything okay? You seem nervous."

Realizing that the timing was best now as beverages had just been served, he cleared his throat and stood up. He asked everyone for his attention. Then pulling out a box out of his pocket, he placed a spare napkin he had earlier quested onto the floor and knelt down onto the napkin next to Amy.

"Amy, we met four years ago. Before that meeting, neither of us were interested in meeting anyone to share a life with, nor were we expecting we would one day fall in love. However that day I met you, I immediately knew my whole life was changed. It was strange for me to suddenly feel something for someone on first meeting. I had never had a woman turn my head, much less win over my mind and heart. But you won both that day and continually have made me fall deeper in love with you each day."

You could have heard a pin drop at the silence in the room. Mary was holding her breath as she felt she knew what was coming. She was not alone, Mrs. Fowler and Meemaw were both holding their breaths as well. Leonard was even watching with his hand covering his mouth as he silently pulled out his phone and began recording.

"Amy Farrah Fowler we have talked of spending a lifetime together and I wish for that lifetime to begin now. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Sheldon said as he opened a box that held two bracelets inside. The bracelets were a metallic bronze colour that held three stones each, two sapphires and one heart-shaped diamond. The centre of the bracelet was a computer face with a large heart in the centre that said "Love" on it and then held a heart-shaped diamond. "Tradition is that I would present you normally with a diamond ring, but we both know that you use your hands in gloves all day long. You also have never really cared for rings. Therefore, I wanted to present you with something that was practical, but significant. We used to Skype all the time and so the computer became like a symbol of our love. I even used to wear a T-shirt with a computer on it that had a heart on the screen on days I wanted to think of you while at work. I asked a jeweller to make up these special to match so that both of us could have symbols of our love around our wrists. When we exchange vows, I have bought rings for that occasion, but they are practical in nature. These are meant to be the engagement symbol."

Amy, eyes full of tears, was smiling with her hand over her mouth and looking intently at Sheldon. When he finished his explanation, she threw herself down at him and said "Yes, of course I will marry you!" She kissed him and then pulled back and looked at the bracelets. "Can I?" she asked, fingering the smaller of the two. Sheldon helped her slip on the bracelet on her left wrist and then he placed his bracelet on his left wrist.

"I see the hotsie-totsie from Glendale did enslave you, even with a wrist-bracelet" Leonard finally broke the silence in the room as the rest were sitting there stunned. All laughed and then jumped up to congratulate the couple. George finally realized he had to do the right thing and rang on his glass with his spoon. He asked everyone to lift up their glasses and made a toast to the couple.

"So when do y'all think you will get married" Mary couldn't help but ask; she was bursting with pride.

"Well mother, I have to speak to Amy about it first, but I will let you know soon" was all Sheldon said as he winked over at Missy. Sheldon knew he had to pass along his idea and plans to Amy and get her agreement before sharing with anyone else.

Music began to play by a live band and Sheldon asked Amy to dance. While on the dance floor they kissed briefly and then Sheldon said "Amy, I have managed to arrange a few things without your knowledge and I hope you won't think me presumptuous or unfair for not including you in on the planning, but would you object if we were to marry on Christmas Eve?"

"Sheldon, that is tomorrow! I can't possibly get a gown and what about Penny and, and…." She was speechless and stopped with a kiss.

Sheldon pulled back from the kiss he planted on her and said "Missy and I arranged it all. We had Penny's store make you and Missy gowns and they are waiting in Missy's closet back at the house. I called ahead and reserved the church and the pastor. I have arranged camera hook-ups so that the ceremony can be Skyped to everyone at the moment we begin the ceremony and have notified via email which should be going out as we speak of the impending nuptials."

Amy was stunned. "I…I…wow..Sheldon, you did all of this? You did this before we even left LA?"

"Yes. I arranged it a couple of weeks ago. I had already made up my mind I wanted us to marry and we had discussed it. I realized every day that passed that I wanted to marry you more and more and that I wanted us to be able to call each other husband and wife. I wanted to know that you would never leave my bed again. Coming here and knowing we could not share a bed was too much. I arranged everything and decided the time was right. That I not only wanted to share a bed, but I wanted us to make love. We have been waiting and the wait was getting harder and harder to control. Amy, please say yes so that you can alleviate my nerves."

Amy looked at him and saw that he was sincere. She saw more love in his eyes than she ever had seen and she had been witnessing that look a lot lately. She couldn't hold back and could find no reason to refuse him so said "Yes, yes, yes! I will marry you tomorrow" and leaned in and kissed him passionately.

Pulling back after a few moments of passionate kissing, Sheldon cleared his throat and said "U'hem, I think we had better cool down or we may not make it through the night. I have arranged for us to spend tomorrow night and the rest of the two weeks at a hotel. I thought we could just go daily to visit Mom and Meemaw, but that we didn't need to stay there. I wanted us to have our own privacy as a newly married couple and not worry about noise-cancelling earphones" Sheldon said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down as he smiled at Amy.

The music stopped and they returned back to the table. Just as they had returned, their meals arrived. While they were eating, Sheldon clinked on his glass and said he had an announcement. He looked over at Missy and winked, smiling. She grinned wide knowing what was coming.

"Well are you gonna tell us, Shelly or sit there with your goofy smile on your face all night?" Mary finally asked.

"Amy and I have decided that we will marry tomorrow, Christmas Eve" Sheldon announced. Everyone gasped, Leonard spit his beverage across his plate of food and then grimaced at the fact that his food was now soaking in his spit.

Mary started to get a bit nervous. She couldn't understand why the sudden need for them to marry. "Shelly, is there something you want to tell us?" She glared at him, believing he "sinned" and therefore they had to get married.

Sheldon completely unaware at what she was implying said, "No, no, I just managed to arrange everything before our trip and with Missy's help, everything has been taken care of."

"That isn't what I mean, Sheldon Lee Cooper. Why the rush?" Mary glared even more that he was so dense.

"Rush? Mother, we have been dating for four years. I hardly think we are rushing into marriage" Sheldon began to rationalize.

Amy's mother catching on to Mary's implication turned to Amy and bluntly asked "how far along are you?"

Amy looked at her mother stunned? "Mother, I am not pregnant unless you consider it possible by Immaculate Conception," she answered indignantly. "Honestly, Sheldon and I just want to be married. We have dated for four years, and are ready to take this step in our relationship. Why do you always assume the worst?" her anger now building.

Both Mary and Barbara looked at her and realized she was being sincere and that they had offended her and Sheldon both. He was blushing red and getting angry.

"I'm sorry Shelly, it's just…well you know how we are here in Texas. When a man marries a girl so quickly it usually means one thing around here" Mary tried to rationalize. "I truly am sorry, Amy. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Yes, me too Sheldon and Amy. While I want grandchildren, I do hope that it happens in proper time." Said Barbara

"Yes, I agree. I want grandchildren too, but you know how I feel about sinnin'. I didn't think my boy would sin like that, but kids these days just do everything backward" she shrugged looking at Amy's mother.

"Mother, we have not sinned and I am appalled that you would just assume that about Amy. You can think what you want about me, but she has been patient and loving and never once has been inappropriate in her behaviour. How dare you insult her like that" Sheldon's anger was raging, mainly because he could not believe he was having such an embarrassing conversation in public with all of them around the table.

"Moonpie, I don't think your mother meant to insult Amy or you. You do realize that to most people in this area, they would have jumped to that same conclusion. However, we know you both to be upstanding and you can know right here and now that I am thrilled you want to marry this lovely young woman and tomorrow I will be there with bells and whistles on. I am proud of you, Moonpie and Amy. You both have proven to me that true love still exists and it is patient, and kind, and does not boast. It is everything that it is supposed to be."

Sheldon calmed at Meemaw's voice and was pleased she would support he and Amy.

"Well sugar, I will definitely be there" Missy beamed, as she slapped George on the upper arm. "Count me in too" George grumbled while rubbing his upper arm. Missy always could throw a good punch.

"Well of course I will be there and I could not be more happy" Mary said smiling big at Amy and then apologetically at Sheldon. Amy's mother consented as well.

"Leonard, will you be my best man?" Sheldon asked. George frowned and said "Hey, what about me?"

"George, I want you to be there, but Leonard has stood by my side for a third of my life and I cannot think of someone who has worked so hard at being a good friend as he. You and I are brothers always, but that does not mean that you like me and I am aware that you don't. So it would seem silly that just because we love each other as brothers that you have to stand up for me like you want to be there when I know you would rather be doing other things. Leonard, however, will be delighted to stand by my side and watch me marry Amy. He has been there through our whole romance and knows us better than anyone in this room besides Amy and myself."

Leonard looked over at George who gave him a quick nod and he replied "Sheldon, I would be honoured to be your best man."

"Missy, would you be my maid of honour?" Amy asked shyly.

"Yes, sugar. I had hoped you would ask me and went to the trouble of charging Shelly here with the purchase of a gown so that I could stand up for y'all" Missy replied grinning wide.

"Well it is settled then. Sheldon, what time did you tell the pastor to do the ceremony?" Amy asked.

"Well as you know it is Christmas Eve and so that evening there are two services that are being held. Therefore, we must have an afternoon wedding so that we can be out of the sanctuary in time for them to set up for that evening. I had to promise we would be back for midnight services, however in exchange for them making us a special concession" he grimaced as he explained.

"Amy, dear, I want to thank you that you got him in church twice in one day! That's something even I could not do" Mary teased as she winked over at Amy.

"So what time in the afternoon? Will Missy and I have time to get our primping done?"

"The ceremony will be at 2 PM and I told the pastor we would be out by 3 PM. I figured we could have a small celebration back at the house with family and when we get back to Pasadena we will have a true reception party that you all will be invited to attend. Amy and I will be staying at a hotel and will come back for services at midnight, but we will be staying the rest of the time at a hotel and will come visit during the days and evenings" Sheldon blushed slightly as he explained.

"Sugar, I have booked us at 9 AM at a salon in town to get our nails, hair and makeup done" Missy informed Amy. "I figured we could pack a box lunch to take with us so that way we can take as long as we need and go from there to the church to change and be ready."

Everyone was thrilled and so excited that the chatter continued well until 11 PM that night. They left the restaurant, after Sheldon paid for the bill and head back to the house. Amy and Sheldon didn't have much time to spend with each other as both knew they needed to try and sleep before the next day. Sheldon lingered near the steps as Amy was about to go up to Missy's room. She finally turned and gave him a passionate kiss then said "sweet dreams, Cuddles. Tomorrow I will be your wife" she squealed. She started to go up the stairs and then ran back down and threw her arms around him again and hugged him tight, kissed him again and said "Oh gosh, I love you so much that I can't breathe at times."

"I know what you mean. I feel the same about you. You realize I am not going to get much sleep tonight" he griped.

"Sheldon, I have to be upstairs before midnight. You are not allowed to see me until the ceremony then" Amy said, looking at the clock hanging in the hall.

"I know. Goodnight Amy and pleasant dreams. They better be of me!" Sheldon teased as he blew her a kiss.

"They will be trust me. Same with you, dream of me and only you and me," she replied as she blew him a kiss and rounded the corner to complete her descent up the stairs.

Sheldon was staying in the guest room for tonight. Amy's mother was at Meemaw's guest room and Mary didn't want him in his room as it was too close to Missy's for her comfort. She put Sheldon down in the guest room instead. He lumbered over to the guest suite and closed the door. Unpacking his night clothes, he smiled as he realized that tomorrow night he might not need anything at all. Looking down, he realized the thought alone put him in full arousal. Sighing he decided to go shower before crawling in bed with Daisy on her blanket on the floor beside him.

Amy opened the door to Missy's room and the two girls squealed, and hugged each other. "Can I see the dresses?" Amy shyly asked.

"Sugar, I thought you would never ask!" Missy replied as she ran over and pulled open her closet door. She pulled out a white gown that was simple but elegant. The fabric alone was gorgeous. It was 100% silk satin, very rich in texture. The dress had long sheer lace sleeves and a deep V-neck, that would show a bit more cleavage than Amy was used to, but she knew if there was a time to show off her assets it was probably on her wedding day to her husband. The bodice was fit, with a support system underneath to make her breasts show to their best advantage with the neckline. Embroidered into the bodice was a small icon, Penny's icon. A row of small of buttons adorned the back. The skirt went into a simple A-line, following an adornment of small pearls and diamond waistline accentuation. There was not a train, and for that Amy could be thankful.

"It's, it's beautiful" said a very choked up Amy, who was fighting tears.

"It is lovely, isn't it? Try it on. I wanna see it on you" Missy encouraged.

"Now? Isn't it kind of late?" Amy asked.

"Sugar, you aren't gonna sleep anyway. I know I couldn't sleep and I am not even the bride. Come on, let's see how it fits?" Lucky for Amy, Missy's room had a fairly new en-suite that had been converted from a small craft room that used to exist on the floor. It gave Missy more privacy and now Amy was glad that it was there. She went into the bathroom with the gown and removed all of the clothing she had previously worn to the restaurant. She slipped into the gown and her breath hitched at the sight. The fabric was so glorious and rich that it took her breath away. Finally she realized she would need Missy's help with the bodice. She opened the door and holding the dress in place so as to not expose herself, she asked Missy if she would button up the back. Missy obliged.

Turning Amy around after she completed hooking the last button, she literally squealed and began to tear up at the sight. "Oh my gosh, it fits perfect and you are stunning!" Amy went back into the bathroom and looked. The dress did fit perfect and her figure could not have been flattered more than with that gown. It made her look totally the vixen that Sheldon calls her. "I do look good, don't I?" Amy smiled well pleased with her image.

Turning to Missy, she said, "okay, I tried mine on, now help me out of this so I don't mess it up then your turn."

Missy ran over and began to unbutton the back. Once Amy had slipped out of her gown, she handed it to Missy using the door as a shield and asked Missy to hand her her PJ's. Changing into her PJ's she washed her face and took off all makeup, and brushed out her hair. She brushed her teeth and then came back out.

Missy then went and tried on her gown. Her gown was a soft aqua colour that brought out Missy's blue eyes. It was fairly similar in style to Amy's although the back had a zipper instead of buttons. But the overall style was very much the same and it was sleeveless instead of having the lace sleeves. Overall it was stunning.

"I love it. Oh you are so beautiful, Missy. If Sheldon wasn't your brother, he might rather marry you" Amy said.

"Oh puleeze…he has never looked at any other woman besides you Amy. I mean Penny used to parade around all the time in front of him and even naked once in front of him and he could care less. He has had all kinds of attractive women try to give him a hint they were interested and he just blew them away. Amy Farrah Fowler, soon to be Cooper, I don't know what juice you have been drinking but I am glad you did because you are the only woman ever to have turned my brother's head before."

"Thank you, Missy, I sometimes can't believe I have found such a perfect man and so it scares me to think that other women could take him away from me" Amy admitted.

"Oh sugar, he could care less about anyone else. You are it for him. Even if you left him tomorrow he would never fall in love again. I know my brother, and you are the only one for him."

"Well you don't need to worry about me. He is the only one for me as well" Amy assured.

"Let me get out of this dress and then we can talk about how you want to do your hair and stuff tomorrow."

While Missy was changing, Amy took her cell phone and text'd Penny. "I'm getting married tomorrow!"

"I know! I am going to watch via Skype, but I am royally ticked at you that you didn't ask me to stand up for you, Bestie"

"I'm sorry, but you will have to fight with Sheldon on that one. It was all a surprise to me, too!" Amy sent.

"OK, I know. So what are you wearing if you didn't know about it?" Penny was still not clued in that Alex and Missy had arranged for her designs to be sent.

Amy, realizing Penny didn't know asked Missy through the bathroom door, "Is Penny supposed to not know about the gown until I walk down the aisle?"

"Yeah, my brother didn't want her to know until she saw you coming down the aisle. Don't tell her please."

Amy text'd back, "I don't know yet. I won't find out until tomorrow, but evidently Sheldon got me a gown." Amy decided that was vague enough.

"Oh, maybe he wanted you to wear what his Mom wore" Penny suggested.

"I hadn't considered that, but you may be right" Amy went along with the deception. "Well I have to get to sleep. It is after midnight here."

"Night, Bestie. Love you and Congratulations. See you on Skype tomorrow!" Penny smiled as she sent the last text.

Missy came out of the bathroom and the girls sat up talking about hair, makeup, Sheldon, what it is like to make love since Missy had experience and Amy didn't. "I can't believe I am talking to you about making love to my brother" Missy blushed. "I never thought he would make love to anyone. In fact I didn't ever think he was capable of making love to anyone." She shuddered at the thought.

"Sorry, I know it must be awkward. I was just curious since I have not experienced it and have heard so many varying accounts. Let's change the subject. Will you help me hide dark circles under my eyes that I am certain to have after staying up so late tonight?" Amy teased.

"Sure." With that the two girls giggled and lay back down on their beds. They shared all kinds of "Sheldon" stories and finally drifted off to sleep around 2 AM.

It was 7:30 the next morning when the alarm clock went off and Missy was about to throw it across the room when she remembered Amy was there. "Sugar, it's your weddin' day!" Missy shook Amy's shoulder.

Amy held her head in her hand and said "UGH, I have such a lack of sleep headache" then suddenly she bolted out of bed when it registered what Missy had said "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm getting married today!" She leapt out of bed and began to pace the room.

Sheldon in the meantime had gotten up, dressed and was ordered out of the house by Mary. She sent him to Meemaw's and told him to have his breakfast there and to take his things with him. George would be by later with Leonard and the three men would all dress at Meemaw's and leave from there to the church. He was not allowed to come to the house before the ceremony. Following orders, Sheldon smiled as he hopped in the car after loading it up with both Daisy and his clothing. Driving to Meemaw's with Daisy where she would be staying when they were in the hotel. Sheldon turned to her and said "I'm getting married today. Your mom and I will be making you legal, Daisy!" The dog acted as if she understood and wagged her tail and got quite excited. She put her head out the window and enjoyed the breeze as her tail kept smacking Sheldon in the face as he drove. "Hey, quit that. Sit down daisy. You can put your head out the window, but quit hitting me with your tail" he ordered. Daisy obliged

_**Thank you for reading**_

_**Next chapter will include the wedding and more**_


	32. Chapter 32

_**Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter and all the comments elsewhere, they are all appreciated**_

_**Wedding day**_

Sheldon arrived at Meemaws house and was ushered in by her saying she had cooked him a hearty breakfast claiming that "he would need his strength" for today.

"Meemaw all that food will do is make me fall asleep!" Said Sheldon hugging her.

"Well at least try and have some, it may be some time before you eat again and I am not going to give any to Daisy no matter how much she looks at me like she has never been fed before" said Meemaw as Daisy realised she was being spoken about and slunk away.

"Yes she can be a bit of a glutton, are you sure you don't mind looking after her?"

"Of course not and George said he would be by most days to walk her and you will still see her when you come here and to your Moms house" said Meemaw

"I was thinking of having her at the wedding but I think she will get bored and distracted so if we pick her up from here afterwards and take her back to the house, because I am sure Amy would want her in the wedding photos" said Sheldon

"Have you written your vows yet? You know you can make up what you would like to say"

"Of course, I did them before we came here, I reminded Missy to tell Amy to do hers as well" said Sheldon

"Are you going to show me?"

"No I want it to be a surprise to everybody" said Sheldon

Just then Barbara appeared and welcomed Sheldon with a quick kiss on the cheek and an even quicker hug leaving Sheldon surprised at the unexpected contact

"Sheldon have you walked Daisy this morning?" asked Barbara

"No not yet"

"Well I can take her while you finish breakfast and you can have some alone time with your Meemaw" said Barbara

"Ok well that's very nice of you, her harness is in the bag there" said Sheldon pointing to the corner where the bag was.

After a few minutes Barbara went out with Daisy and Meemaw sat down at the table and took Sheldon's hands in hers.

"I'm glad we are alone Sheldon, now I want to give you a little talk about marriage, I can see how much love you have for Amy and last night I could see that love being radiated back in spades, I know you have always felt that you didn't need anybody but anyone can see how in love you are with Amy and I am so proud of you and I hope I live long enough to see some grandchildren" Meemaw finished by kissing Sheldon on the cheek and Sheldon felt overcome with emotion.

"Meemaw thank you, I have never felt so much love for anybody than I have with Amy, she is my everything and I know I will love her forever"

"I know you will darlin and I will be mighty proud to see you marry her today"

Sheldon went to continue but George and Leonard arrived with their suits for the wedding.

"I shall leave you three boys to breakfast, there is more warming in the oven when you are ready, I am going to get my wedding outfit as Mary will be here soon to pick Barbara and myself up and take us back to the house" said Meemaw leaving the kitchen and going upstairs

"You ok Sheldon? You look a bit pale" asked Leonard as he and George sat down with the food they had just taken

"Yes I am fine, just feeling a bit nervous but I know I am doing the right thing by marrying Amy, I love her with all my heart and don't ever want to be apart from her"

"Sheldon anybody that sees you together can see that and I am proud to be your best man"

"Leonard you have always been my best friend even when I was arrogant tyrant who made you follow a roommate agreement, I still can't believe you followed it!" said Sheldon

"Sometimes you do things for you friends when you care about them" said Leonard patting Sheldon on the back

"Oh I have the rings in my bag if you want to take them" said Sheldon as he got up from the table and reached into his bag and found the box with the rings in

Barbara then walked back in with Daisy and the guys finished off their breakfasts just as Meemaw came back downstairs

"Sheldon do you mind I have a quick word with you" asked Barbara

"No that's fine" said Sheldon following her to Meemaw's living room and sitting down on the sofa next to her

"Now Sheldon I don't know how much Amy has told you of her childhood but I will admit that I have always been her harshest critic and I pushed her a lot to do things on her own, even to the point of making her agree to going on a date once a year, which has proven to be a good move with how you both met. Your Meemaw has probably already told you how proud she is of you and that's how I feel about Amy and I would like to welcome you to our small family, she couldn't have chosen any better" said Barbara

"Thank you Barbara that meant a lot, I can guarantee that I won't let Amy down, she is the love of my life and I won't ever do anything to risk that" said Sheldon being as sincere as was possible with him

Meemaw came back downstairs with a pink bow and gave it to Sheldon to put on Daisy for the wedding photos. Mary then arrived and within minutes Barbara and Meemaw were whisked off to the hairdressers and the boys were left alone again to get changed into their morning suits

Meanwhile back at Mary's house with Missy and Amy

"Amy sugar, before we go to the salon, there is something you should have" said Missy passing her two small bags

"What's this" asked Amy

"It's just something you will need for tonight, I figured you probably hadn't brought anything like that with you" replied Missy

Amy had opened the bag and found a frilly Basque with a matching bra and underwear in one bag and then in the other Sheldon had remembered to bring her Tiara

"Oh Missy thank you they are very nice and I think Sheldon will be very impressed, I can see the tiara will go with my lovely dress" Amy gave Missy a quick hug as the doorbell rang and Missy went to answer it

"That will probably be the caterers and the marquee people, I organised all this before and Mom only found out about it this morning" said Missy

Missy then let the caterers in and showed the people setting up the marquee to the garden where there was a sizeable space as Mary's house had a half acre plot for the garden and left them to go to the hair salon with Amy

The stylist asked how Amy wanted her hair

"Oh well last night I curled it with my tongs but if you could style it a bit better then that's how I would like it and have it down as well"

"Amy sugar how are you feeling" asked Missy

"Very excited, I can't wait to marry the man I love" said Amy smiling at Missy

"When we are done here we will go back to mom's house, one of my friends is a make up artist and she's going to do us up"

"Ok but I don't want too much make up, I would like it to be subtle if at all"

"Of course sugar that's not a problem"

Shortly afterwards they left the salon and drove back to the house where Missy's friend gave her a little makeover, then Amy looked in the mirror feeling pleasantly surprised at her reflection, Missy's friend also made up Missy and Barbara who would be walking Amy down the aisle

"Amy, Sheldon asked me to book us a limousine to take us to the church and that should be here in about 5 minutes, so if you have your dress and shoes ready then we can go to the church and get dressed there, it will save crinkling that lovely dress and don't forget your vows"

At the church, Mary and Meemaw had just arrived and were sitting behind the front row with Mary telling everybody how happy she was, she had been on the phone that morning to ring round her family and friends to see if they could come at short notice and there was various members of her family scattered around in varying states of untidiness

Mary was also wearing the dress that Sheldon and Amy had bought her for Christmas

Amy arrived at the church with Missy and Barbara, they had been allocated a room at the side of the church to get changed into and to make it easier for her to walk into the front entrance, trying not to mess up her hair and make up, she was being helped into the dress, she put her tiara on as well and Missy had leant her some small gold hoop earrings for the occasion

'Oh Amy you look beautiful and I am so proud of you' said Barbara with tears in her eyes

'Don't cry mother, you will ruin your make up! Said Amy giving her a quick hug

Once Amy was ready, Missy quickly walked round to the entrance and signalled to the pastor that they were almost ready

Amy stepped out of the room, walked round to the front entrance and took a deep breath and stepped into the church, the music from "The Way You Look Tonight" started and the congregation rose as one

Leonard was waiting at the front with George and Sheldon and there was also a laptop open on Skype showing everything to their friends back in Pasadena where Penny had been given permission to use 4a for their friends to all gather and watch the ceremony

Leonard noticed how beautiful Amy looked and reassured Sheldon who was shaking slightly

'Sheldon she looks beautiful, you are about to be married, good luck' said Leonard taking Sheldon's hand and shaking it.

The music to Amy's favourite song "The Way You Look Tonight" was playing and Amy walked slowly down the aisle with Missy behind her and her mother next to her escorting her towards the altar and Sheldon who still hadn't turned round

When Amy arrived at the altar she gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before turning to Sheldon grinning from ear to ear, he leant down to her and kissed her cheek and they both turned to face the pastor

The pastor started the ceremony

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the Marriage of Sheldon Lee Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler, please repeat after me"

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

The love of God

And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

Be with you

"First I am required to ask anyone here present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now" There was complete silence in the church so the pastor continued

"First hymn please go to page 12 for Love Devine" said the Pastor

"Love devine, all loves excelling

Joy of heaven, to earth come down

Fix in us thy humble dwelling

All thy faithful mercies crown

Jesu, thou all art all compassion

Pure unbounded love thou art

Visit us with thy salvation

Come, almighty to deliver

Let us all thy grace receive

Suddenly return and never

Never more thy temples leave

Thee we would be always blessing

Serve thee as thy hosts above

Pray and praise thee without ceasing

Glory in thy perfect love

Finish them thy new creation

Pure and spotless let us be

Let us see thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in thee

Changed from glory into glory

Till in heaven we take our place

Till we cast our crowns before thee

Lost in wonder love and praise!"

Amen

The pastor then spoke to Sheldon and Amy

"The vows you are about to take which you have both written, are to be made in the presence of God, who is judge of all and knows all the secrets of our hearts, therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now"

"Amy if you wish to start" said the Pastor after a moment of silence

"Sheldon I love you unconditionally and without hesitation. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you and respect you. As a family we will create a home filled with learning, laughter and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us can imagine alone. Today I choose you to be my husband. I accept you as you are and I offer myself in return, I will care for you, stand beside you and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward and all the days of my life"

"Now your turn Sheldon"

"Amy, I take you as you are, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become, I promise to listen to you and learn from you to support you and accept your support, I will celebrate your triumphs and mourn your losses as though they were my own, Today I choose you as my wife, I will love you and have faith in your love for me, through all our years and all that life may bring us"

The only sound you could hear in the church was people sobbing with emotion into tissues and occasional gasps coming from the laptop

"We will now have a prayer reading which George Cooper will be reading"

George stood up and walked to the altar, feeling nervous he had never done anything for his brother and even though it was just a little prayer he wanted to do it right, he reached the altar and cleared his throat

"Corinthians 13:4-8a"

"Love is patient and kind, love does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude, it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never ends"

The Pastor then followed by asking who had the rings, with Leonard handing Sheldon the rings who passed them to the small pillow in the Pastors hand and he went through the formal exchange of rings, Sheldon had gone for gold bands with an engraving inside simply saying Sheldon and Amy 24/12/13

"I am pleased to announce that you are now Husband and Wife and you may kiss the bride"

Sheldon then pulled Amy into his arms and gave her a long and passionate kiss before stopping and whispering "there is more where that came from" making Amy blush

There was a sudden cheering and clapping that came from the laptop and they both turned to wave to their friends back home in Pasadena

They both walked back down the aisle arm in arm again to the sounds of The Way You Look Tonight with everybody cheering and clapping them, when they got outside they waited for everybody to leave the church as some had confetti they wanted to throw over them, even though Sheldon wasn't that keen on it, he did it anyway

'Come on Amy, we need to drive back to Meemaw's to pick up Daisy and she can be in the wedding photos back at the house if you would like that'

'I would like that more than anything, she is like our little baby after all' said Amy kissing Sheldon again

Leonard and George then walked towards them, Leonard had Sheldon's laptop and it was still open with Skype and Penny was on the screen

'Congratulations you two, I am so happy for you both and that was a beautiful ceremony, nice dress by the way Amy' said Penny smirking

'You know its one of your designs then? Asked Amy

"Of course, Missy just told me what she and Sheldon planned and I can't believe that Alex managed to keep it a secret from me and more importantly Sheldon managing to keep a secret for so long"

"Penny when they are as important as this one was, then I can keep them" said Sheldon

'Well we are going to sign off now, but all we just want to say is congratulations and we will see you when you get back" said Penny as the rest of their friends waved at them

'Thank you to you all" said Amy blowing a kiss at the screen

Back at Mary's house, in the garden the photographer was arranging the photo shoot and Meemaw had put a pink bow onto Daisy's collar and she was behaving perfectly even with lots of strangers about

"Can we have a picture of the happy couple and their moms please" said the photographer as he continued to snap away and then Sheldon asked for a picture of just him and Amy with Daisy which the photographer was happy to oblige

Shortly afterwards the photographer left and the reception party was able to begin, Sheldon and Amy had gone to get changed into something more comfortable and were making the most of their private time by having a kiss and cuddle in the bedroom

Sheldon had promised his mother they would stay at least until 6pm as they wanted to have some alone time before returning to go to midnight mass and Leonard was also leaving at 6pm to catch his flight to New York

George had appointed himself leader of everything and was guiding people to the marquee and allowing them to sit anywhere but the top table

Missy had brought her ipod and speakers with her and had made a large track list of wedding songs which was playing in the background as people arrived at the house, she had also borrowed a microphone for the occasion

Sheldon and Amy then appeared at the garden door and were waiting for George to announce them into the marquee which took up half the garden

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please upstanding for the bride and groom" said George as Sheldon and Amy appeared and walked towards the top table, Leonard was sitting next to Sheldon with Mary and Meemaw next to Leonard and Barbara, Missy and George were on Amy's other side

Leonard decided now was the time for his best man speech, he had decided to keep it very short as he was in a room full of virtual strangers

"I would like just to wish Sheldon and Amy all the luck in the world, Sheldon you have changed so much since meeting Amy and I am proud to say you are my best friend and I hope you have a happy fulfilling life together" Leonard finished by raising his glass "To Sheldon and Amy"

Sheldon then stood up, he looked around at everybody and cleared his throat

"Thank you Leonard that was very moving, I haven't done much of a speech other than what you all heard in the church but I just want to say to Amy, I cant wait to share my life with you and I love you very much" Sheldon leant down and kissed Amy and hugged her to cheers from the room

Their meals soon arrived and everybody was chattering amongst each other until the meal had finished when George spoke up

"If I could ask Sheldon and Amy to come to the dance area, its time for your first dance as Husband and Wife"

Sheldon took Amy's hand and walked her to the small dance area where Missy was frantically going through her ipod for the song that both Sheldon and Amy had agreed to

Bryan Adams - Everything I do, I do it for you

"Look into my eyes - you will see

What you mean to me

Search your heart

Search your soul

"Don't tell me it's not worth tryin for

You can't tell me it's not worth dying for

You know it's true

Everything I do, I do it for you

The song carried on while Amy and Sheldon were swaying to the music, you couldn't tell where Amy ended and Sheldon started and as the song continued they were soon embracing into a passionate kiss that had most of the room wolf whistling at them before other people joined in to dance

More and more people joined the dance floor and soon even Leonard was dancing with Amy to the Birdie song, while Sheldon had a dance with his mom, Meemaw and sister, before Sheldon decided he had to stop dancing, they could see it was getting closer to their time of leaving and were circulating the room, before Sheldon himself took the microphone

" I would just like to say thank you to everybody for coming today and a very big thank you to Missy for organising everything, Amy and I are leaving now but we will see you at midnight mass" Sheldon finished and took Amy's hand and went to see Leonard who was waiting at the exit of the marquee

"Sheldon I have to go my cab is waiting but thank you for having me to be at your wedding and to be your best man, I wouldn't of missed it for the world and I hope you have a good evening and a fantastic Christmas" said Leonard hugging his friend, Sheldon hugged him back harder and replied

"You too and we will see you back in Pasadena on January 4th"

Leonard nodded and hugged Amy as well before saying goodbye to Sheldon's immediate family

Sheldon and Amy arrived at their hotel, they were checked in and were shown to honeymoon suite by the porter who had been asked by Sheldon to take the bags in while he and Amy waited outside until he came back out and Sheldon was able to enter the suite

"Amy I want to do the traditional thing of carrying you over the threshold and whilst we are not at home, this is the next best thing' said Sheldon

'Of course" said Amy

Sheldon then picked up Amy and he carried her to the bed where he kissed her intensely

The hotel had supplied an ice bucket with 2 bottles of champagne and two glasses, Sheldon popped open the bottle and poured a glass each for them and took Amy her glass

"I think this is the first time I can say this but I love you Dr Amy Cooper!"

"I love you too Dr Sheldon Cooper" said Amy as they both clinked glasses and sipped at the champagne

"Come on this room has a private terrace, let's sit outside and enjoy the view" said Sheldon

"Sure" said Amy walking to the terrace where there was an overhead canopy and a small two seat sofa and armchair set up underneath

Once they were sat down and cuddling, Sheldon started talking

'Amy I want us to make love tonight but I want us to enjoy each other first, there is no rush, we don't need to be out of here for church until 1130

"I know Sheldon, I always said that whenever we do make love it will be worth the wait and knowing that it will happen tonight, I can wait a bit longer"

"Good, I think Missy proved herself to be very adept at organising things with only 2 weeks notice" said Sheldon

"Sheldon everything was perfect" replied Amy as they continued to talk about the wedding and before long they were kissing and cuddling and taking "selfie" pictures of each other and uploading them to facebook

"Sheldon I also wanted to say that the wedding dress was beautiful, I never knew that you would have such a good eye for fashion when it came to the dress"

"Well that wasn't all down to me, I showed Missy Penny's website with the wedding dress section and she helped me to decide" said Sheldon

Amy kissed Sheldon again after he said this and then moved onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him intensely, until Sheldon pulled away breathless and they both leaned against each other just enjoying being with each other

As they were cuddling Amy whispered in Sheldon's ear, "I have my sexy lingerie with me Sheldon if you would like me to change"

"If you want to get ready don't be long, look at the state you have left me in' said Sheldon indicating his evident arousal through his trousers

Amy cupped his arousal and kissed him again causing Sheldon to groan in lust for her and they carried on kissing for some time before they went back inside and got into the bed and started kissing and grinding against each other for some time, with various bits of clothing being removed, when Amy again whispered in Sheldon's ear "take my bra off" Amy then sat up ready for him

Sheldon instead of taking her bra off, simply pulled the straps down then pulled the bra down and brought Amy up into a position where she was on her knees so he could play with her now free breasts and as he started to kiss and suck her nipples, she was moaning in lust for him, making him press his arousal against her

"Amy you have a beautiful body" said Sheldon removing her bra completely before kissing every inch of her leaving Amy to revel in the intimacy of the occasion

_**Some time later**_

In the en suite bathroom Amy had changed into her frilly Basque and was gearing herself up for what was to come, she felt slightly nervous but then she looked at her bracelet and wedding ring and that gave her confidence, she started to brush her hair then realized it was only going to get messed up again so stopped

Sheldon had removed everything except his boxers and was sitting on the bed waiting for Amy when she appeared from the bathroom looking in his eyes stunning, seeing her like that made him instantly aroused, he got up and walked towards her and kissed her then picked her up again and laid her gently on the bed

"Amy you-you look beautiful"

They lay on the bed next to each other kissing each other and hands wandering finding each others pleasure areas, Sheldon moved on top of Amy, grinding her and moving aside the frilly Basque he gently kissed and sucked her erect nipples causing Amy to moan lustily, she could feel Sheldon erection and reached into his boxers and pumped his arousal

"Amy let me take my boxers off so you can do that freely" said Sheldon hoarsely

"Are you sure" asked Amy

"Yes"

Sheldon quickly untangled himself from Amy and sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boxers off before turning back to Amy whose eyes widened at her first sight of his erection

"Well I can see you are definitely happy to see me!"

"Oh Amy I am going to show you just how happy I am"

They resumed kissing with Sheldon and Amy laying side onto each other where Amy could pump his erection freely, she could feel he was starting to leak some precum, Sheldon groaned and moved on top of Amy and was teasing her with his erection whilst they kissed

'Sheldon did you bring protection?

"Yes I have a box here, let me just get them from my bag" Sheldon quickly walked across the room and took out a small packet

"Before we actually do anything I still want us to enjoy each other like you said without rushing" said Amy

Sheldon responded by getting back into bed with Amy and kissing her as they lay side by side legs wrapped around each other, with Sheldon stroking Amy's face and playing with her hair and Amy responding to the kisses with passion, Sheldon stopped kissing Amy and moved to her neck and was peppering her neck with little kisses before moving back to kissing her on the lips while Amy grabbed Sheldon's bottom and pulled him even closer to her

"Sheldon I want you inside me now"

"Amy are you sure you are ready for this, it might hurt"

"Yes I know but I will try not to think about it" Amy was so turned on she didn't think she could wait much longer

Sheldon had put the condom on and guided himself towards her opening and gently pushed himself in, he was met with a little resistance, but checking with Amy to continue, he then slowly found himself getting deeper, Amy by now was arching her body towards Sheldon her face a picture of lust, as they moved together Amy was feeling more comfortable and wrapped her legs around Sheldon's back pushing him deeper into her

'Oh Sheldon' moaned Amy causing Sheldon to kiss her passionately and cup her breasts while they continued to rock against each other enjoying the moment, neither of them wanting to stop and enjoying the feeling of making love to each other for the first time

Amy could feel the pleasure building up like she had never felt before and within seconds felt an orgasm rock though her body, she was convulsing like crazy under Sheldon, as he continued to pump as he felt his own orgasm coming, when he felt himself come he almost couldn't breathe and he and Amy were glowing in the aftermath both of them sweating and shaking but with huge grins on their faces

Some time later after they had recovered

'You know Amy I think that is probably the best thing I have ever done! Said Sheldon

'You are not wrong Sheldon' said Amy as she kissed him again and they lay in each others arms

"Now I understand why the others make such a deal about having coitus with their partners" said Sheldon

"No regrets then? Asked Amy just to be sure

'Absolutely not though I do need to have a shower, even though I can't think of anything better than laying in your arms right now, I am just feeling very hot and sticky' said Sheldon

'We could always go again and shower afterwards seeing as we have to go to church again" smiled Amy as she kissed him again

"Well there is something I would like to do" said Sheldon pulling Amy on top of him and taking Amy's breasts and fondling them and sucking at her nipples, Sheldon then guided himself into Amy and they rocked their hips against each other with Amy gasping in delight at the feeling and this new found freeness they both had

_**Thank you for reading**_

_**I hope you enjoyed the wedding**_

_**Next Chapter will be a mix of things and should be up by the weekend**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Sorry for the long delay between chapters**_

_**Unfortunately real life came along and has caused a few issues, there will be probably be a few delays in between chapters until it's sorted out**_

_**This is just going to be a short chapter but the next few will make up for that**_

_**Christmas day**_

Sheldon and Amy woke up, wrapped around each other after a very long night of excellent love making and after a few minutes of kissing, Sheldon had a conversation topic to bring up

"Amy usually I have no desire to celebrate Christmas but I think I can make an exception, you have changed my life completely and I can't imagine life without you"

"Sheldon that's beautiful" said Amy replying by kissing him again and distracting Sheldon from what he had to say

"Amy also I think we need to talk about something that I know both of our mothers will probably bring up today or at least pretty soon and its best we clarify with each other first, especially as it has not come up"

"What's that? Asked Amy curiously

"How soon we are going to have children, I am happy to wait as I feel like we are still getting to know each other, even though we have known each other for nearly 4 years, how do you feel about that?"

"Yes I agree, we have so much going on at work and I want us to enjoy being married before children come, I would be happy to wait for a couple of years"

"Good, I think if we have 2 to 3 children that will be more than enough to deal with" said Sheldon

"Yes and in the meantime we can have lots of fun practicing" said Amy kissing Sheldon and letting roll on top her and take her breasts in his mouth while Amy wrapped her arms around Sheldon's neck and pulled him closer

"I wish we could stay in bed all day making love, but we have to be at my mothers for 1pm" said Sheldon

"Ok lets shower and have breakfast and we can go" replied Amy

_**Later on at Mary**__**'**__**s house**_

Sheldon and Amy had arrived to a full house, with Mary, George, Missy, Barbara and Daisy who was ecstatic to see her owners and covered them with sloppy kisses all over much to the amusement of everybody else

Everybody was in the kitchen with Mary who was finishing off preparing dinner

"Now Sheldon and Amy would you like a drink?" asked Mary

"Oh just water for me mom" said Sheldon and Amy requested the same thing

"Now in a few minutes, we can all exchange gifts, also Shelley I know that dress was my Christmas gift so I'm not expecting anything from you, but what I would like to do for you both is when you get your first home together I will get you something then as a housewarming gift is that ok?"

"Of course mom, that's very nice of you" said Sheldon adding "What Amy and I have done though is we have tickets for you all to come to LA in March for a week and we will put you up in a hotel and we can spend time together"

"Oh Shelley that's lovely" said Meemaw

"Amy what I would like to do for you both is pay for your honeymoon, if you let me know where and when you are going then I would be more than happy to do so" said Barbara

"Mother we can't let you do that" exclaimed Amy in surprise

"Yes you can, I am very proud of you Amy and I want to do this for you" replied Barbara

"Thank you mother and when we get back to LA I will take you to Penny's store and you can choose an outfit, I was planning to do that anyway" said Amy

"Thank you Amy that's very thoughtful"

"Ok now if everybody would like to sit down, we can eat this lovely dinner and remember to say grace" said Mary looking at Sheldon

"Mom now that I have been to church twice this year, does that mean I can be excluded for next year" asked Sheldon hoping very much

"Of course not, we had a deal and I never break a deal darlin" said Mary

"Darn it" said Sheldon looking unhappy

"Sheldon don't worry, remember what I said, just going will make your mom happy" said Amy whispering to him and offering a cracker to break with him which Amy won and found a green plastic ring inside and when Sheldon broke his cracker with Amy there was a plastic train inside causing much amusement with the couple

"That's actually quite funny Sheldon, I might wear it just for today"

"We can make a memory box of our best times, once we get home" smiled Sheldon

"Ok now that we are ready its time for grace" said Mary

Grace was said and the family chatted happily about many things until the topic that Sheldon was expecting came up

"So Shelley now that you are married, will we be getting grandchildren fairly soon?" asked Mary with Barbara nodding for support

"Not as soon as you would like I think, but Amy and I have talked about waiting for a couple of years before we do"

"Why so long?" asked Missy

"We want to enjoy being married and we have a lot going on at work which at the moment just wont fit in with having children" said Amy

"Well don't leave it too long, I would like to see one of my grandchildren have children before I die" said Meemaw

"Meemaw don't say things like that, we will be ready in our own time and you are going to live for a long time yet I hope" said Sheldon

"Right lets have some champagne to celebrate Christmas and these two getting married" said Missy pointing at Sheldon and Amy and changing the subject quickly

"Ok first of all Amy and I are going to walk Daisy, I don't want her to think we have abandoned her" said Sheldon

After putting Daisy's harness on they walked to the local park and let her off to have a run around and soon she came bounding back wanting them to play with her, so they were throwing her ball for her and Amy as part of Daisy's training was teaching her to give the ball back with little doggy treats which was proving very successful, they had also taught her a few tricks as well as the usual training and she always kept to heel on the harness without pulling

When they got back, Missy went off to get the champagne and soon everybody was merry and playing board games and they all had a lively evening with other family members popping into say hello and wish everybody a merry Christmas

Later that night back at the hotel, Sheldon had been thinking about Leonard

"Amy should we invite Leonard here for New Years? He got on very well with our family when he was here and I would like to see him, it would be nice to have my wife and my best friend to celebrate with"

"OOhh I love it when you say my wife Sheldon" said Amy winking at Sheldon "But yes I would ask him here"

"I shall text him tomorrow and see what he thinks, I think it also depends on how much Beverley has frustrated him" said Sheldon "I am pretty exhausted now especially the last two days have been quite hectic"

"No regrets though Sheldon?" wondered Amy

"No of course not, being married to you is going to be fantastic and I think my mother is just planning to have a quieter day tomorrow and your mom is going home as well isn't she?

"Yes she's going first thing on the 27th, so I might take her out tomorrow night, maybe just to a local restaurant if you wanted to join me? Asked Amy

"Of course, though I did mean it about being exhausted, I think we need to go to sleep now!"

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Next chapter will have a bit of Leonard and Penny talking with others about how to proceed with their relationship **_


	34. Chapter 34

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Flashback **_

_**Christmas Eve in Pasadena**_

The day before the wedding Sheldon had sent an email to all his friends which included Raj, Howard, Bernadette, Penny, Alex, Natasha, Will Wheaton, Barry Kripke and Stuart asking them to arrive at his apartment on Christmas Eve for 1:45pm and that the reasons were that he and Amy would be getting married and he wanted them to see this on Skype, he had sent a separate email to Penny giving her permission to use his apartment for the occasion

Penny was in 4a making drinks for everyone with Natasha giving a running commentary of things she could see happening, When the wedding started Penny sat mesmerized as Amy appeared on the screen and then she noticed the dress and realized it might have been one of hers, but then she found herself overwhelmed to hear the vows that they had given each other and then at the end of the service when Leonard picked up the laptop, she asked him to let her speak to the couple which she did briefly and now she was back in her own apartment drinking wine with Natasha, Bernadette and Alex having left the boys in 4a playing video games.

"You know Leonard looked gorgeous in his morning suit" said Penny wistfully to her friends

"You still love him don't you? Asked Bernadette

"Yes and I want to show him I have changed and that I can be committed to him but I don't know if he will be interested" replied Penny

"Well he sent you a card saying congratulations on your store and that he was proud of you, so maybe there is still something there" said Natasha

"Yes I know but what I don't know is if he can trust me again, I think the only thing I can do is talk to him when he comes back but I don't know when that will be"

"Why not wait until Sheldon & Amy's wedding party" said Alex

"I guess and I have the taping of the interview before that as well, but I want him back so much, I miss him and I want to share my life with him, I just have to try and convince him that this time it will be worth it" replied Penny

"You know I think he would be happy to take you back but you will have to work hard to gain his trust again" said Bernadette

"I hope that I can do that and I haven t told you guys this but I have been speaking to Beverley and she said she would try and talk to Leonard when he arrives but I don't want that to cause a problem, she can be quite abrupt at times and Leonard had a hard time growing up with her"

"Penny whatever happens you will still have us as friends and Leonard is already at the point where he doesn't hate you for what happened and I think if you really want him then just talk to him" said Bernadette

Penny nodded and drank her wine, she had a lot to think about

_**Christmas in New York**_

Leonard had arrived in New York just after midnight and took a taxi straight to his Mothers penthouse apartment. He was not expecting that she would of waited up for him, but she was there waiting for him when he arrived.

Beverley's apartment was very cold in feel and totally devoid of soul. With floor to ceiling windows, all the walls were painted white and the bare minimum of furniture was made of glass, chrome, steel and leather. There was no fabric on the windows to soften the space and no fabric on the floors. The floors were stained concrete in a steel gray tone. There was absolutely no clutter nor any personality showed through, including any family photos. All artwork was abstract and done in white and grayscale tones.

"Hello Leonard, I guess I will have to start by asking how you are" said Beverly greeting her son in her custom distant way. She could not be found hugging him or giving him any warmth. Instead she was standoffish as always.

"I'm fine mother, how are you?" Leonard replied, looking around trying to figure out where to place his bag.

"Oh, I'm menopausal as usual. You can place your bag in what used to be your old room" Beverly said, anticipating his confusion.

"Thanks for sharing, I see the apartment is the same as usual, not a speck of dust or anything out of place" Leonard muttered as he head to his old room.

"No Leonard. You know how I detest anything out of place and dust has no place around humans" Beverly retorted.

Leonard continued on back to his room. Nothing had changed. His room was just like the rest of the apartment. There was a single bed with bedding done in all white except for a few abstract black stripes that went across the comforter and a few black throw pillows to adorn the bed. At the foot of the bed was a bench made of chrome. Beside the bed on each side were clear hard plastic wall-attached beside tables and above them sconces that were modern made of glass and chrome accents. No other furniture existed in the room except for one bookcase that was made of black steel. Inside the case were old physics books and math books from when Leonard attended school. Nothing personal was in the room for Beverly had never allowed him to adorn his room like he wished. There was a closet and he placed his bag on the chrome bench and began to unpack and hang his clothes up in the closet. He placed the folded items on the shelving that was built inside.

Taking his toiletries and medications, Leonard proceeded to the en-suite bath. The bath was all white subway tile in the shower with chrome fixtures. There was no tub, but there was a very modern rectangular sink with chrome fixtures placed in the middle of a long counter top made of white marble. Above the sink was a mirrored medicine cabinet and sconces accented the lighting in the room. The toilet was white and modern with an automatic flusher and the lid automatically closed on its own. White fluffy towels hung on the racks. There was one heat-warming towel rack on one wall far from any water fixtures. One painting was inside the bathroom over the toilet. It was again all in white and grayscale tones. After placing his things in the bath, he washed his hands, tossed some water on his face and steadied himself to face his mother again. He finally went back up the hall to the massive living room that overlooked the city to see his mother.

"Ah there you are. I thought perhaps you went to bed. Now, what's happening with my home girl? I found out from Sheldon that you had split up, is that right?"

"Why don't you check with Sheldon?" Leonard muttered. It bothered him that she spent more time trying to keep up with Sheldon and share the latest news through him than she was willing to spend with her own son.

"There is no need to get testy. So I see he was right. Sheldon did not share any details with me and you know I don't really spend much time caring about such matters."

Leonard just nodded, not sure what else there would be to talk about. He was tired and really wanted to get to bed.

"Well it's late. Perhaps we can catch up more in the morning?" Leonard tried to be diplomatic.

"Is that your answer to everything? You avoid it by sleeping or running away? Leonard, when are you going to be a man?" Beverly always had a way to make Leonard feel bad.

"Mother, you don't know anything about this. You have no idea what transpired and what I am feeling" Leonard lashed out.

"Yes. It has been some time now. I see you are still not over this. Okay, sit down and let's talk. Tell me how you feel about it." Beverly was shocked at his outrage.

"Compassionate as ever Mother, it did take me a long time to get over the hurt yes, but I am fine now" Leonard snapped back.

"I see. Well given your behaviour and the fact that you are so angry, I would wager that you are not fine. It sounds to me that you are still having issues with this break up." Beverly analyzed.

"Ya think? Mom, you don't know anything about it. It's complicated" Leonard just wanted to crawl into bed and not be having this discussion. He always felt so under the microscope with his mother. He just wished she could be warm like Sheldon's mother, Mary.

"No, I don't know about it because you have failed to share that with me" Beverly said, still distant, but starting to show a bit more concern for Leonard.

"You don't want to know the details. I know you. You would find some reason to interrupt or not listen" Leonard whined.

"Leonard, as much as you think otherwise, I am here to help. I do this for a living. Explain to me so that we can at least have the same information starting point" Beverly continued to use her psychiatrist tone of voice.

"Are you sure?" Leonard asked, stunned.

"Yes, now please" Beverly pointed to the couch for him to sit on.

"While I was at sea, I was missing everyone. I was very lonely and while I had friends I made there, it was not the same. They were not close friends" Leonard started.

"Yes, you have always had a need for reassurance" Beverly nodded.

Leonard glared and then continued "I was seasick a lot of the time and working long hours. I got to Skype and talk to everyone, but it was not the same as being with them. So when the experiment completed and we head home, I could not wait to be back with everyone, especially Penny." Leonard continued.

"That's understandable, given your neediness" Beverly nodded, prompting him to continue.

Leonard decided to immune himself from her cold comments and continued "But what I didn't realize is that when I was away, I had asked Penny to watch over Sheldon. However it was more him watching over her because she was a wreck for a while with me being gone. She missed me, or so she said and Sheldon said. He had Amy to watch over him and so he and Amy grew closer. But when he did nice things to help Penny she started to think he was having amorous feelings for her so she came on to him."

"Wait, was this when you were about half way through your excursion?" Beverly interrupted.

"I…I…I don't know exactly when, but that would probably be about right, yes" Leonard replied. He was completely surprised by her interruption. "Why? Does that matter?"

"Of course not, it just explains why Sheldon suddenly was very distant in some conversations we held during that time frame. I thought something was amiss at the time, but he never confided in me anything. I actually thought it might be more with he and Amy, but now I think it could be because of what you just told me" Beverly explained.

"Oh, no he and Amy were great during my absence. If anything they grew very close and more intimate with each other through the experience" Leonard confirmed.

"Ah, I see, well… continue. So Penny came on to Sheldon. How did he react?" Beverly asked. She was more curious for her own amusement than that it related to the story. She always found that Sheldon could fall in love with a woman a surprise. She always thought of him more like her, someone that could remain objective and scientific at all times and that eluded romance.

"Sheldon rebuffed her advances and immediately told Amy. They never kept any secrets from each other. He banned Penny from his apartment and from being around him unless someone else was present."

"I see…fascinating" Beverly looked off thinking for a moment. She studied everyone, including Sheldon and so his response intrigued her. She then returned to look at her son. "Continue" she encouraged.

"Amy would still see Penny, but she made it clear that she was not happy with her coming on to her boyfriend. She remained a true friend to Penny though and told Penny that instead of needing men all the time that she should get out there and do something for herself. Get to know who she is and what she wanted in life. Amy explained that she could bring more to a relationship when she was content with who she was instead of always mooching off of others and expecting others to give her a break based on her good looks" Leonard recounted.

"Amy shows great wisdom advising that to my homegirl. Penny is a great girl, but she was a bit lazy and did live off of her looks. Amy gave her great advice" Beverly was bemused. She was starting to like Sheldon's choice in a woman. She was surprising even herself.

"Yes, she did give her good advice. It was from that advice that Penny has turned her life around completely. She has become a very successful business woman and has increased her acting activity as well" Leonard nodded his approval. "But now, I am worried."

"Why is that?" Beverly asked. "What do you have to be worried about?" Beverly eyed him and then continued. "I see, you still love her, don't you?"

"I never stopped loving her, but now I am not sure what to do about it. I tried moving on and thought I would be able to, but my heart wants her. Mom, I loved her when she had no idea who she was and what she wanted. I saw her potential and knew that someday when she figured all of that out, that she would finally see in herself what I have been able to see all along" Leonard explained.

"Leonard why exactly did you break up with Penny? Was it a wounded ego that caused you to break up with her?" Beverly knew that betrayal was often just a bruised ego speaking forth.

"Are you kidding me? The fact that she was even looking for something else was a deal breaker for me, if it had been the other way around, I'm pretty sure she would have done the same thing. Mom, infidelity is betrayal and betrayal, well it is hard to look the other way and not see that others are waiting in the wings to take your place" Leonard continued.

"Leonard, that is your ego talking. But your heart knows that you two belong together, is that correct?" Beverly encouraged.

"Yes about the heart part…but even if it is my ego, how do I get past that?" Leonard asked.

"You either buck up and become a man and realize that you are the best thing that has ever happened to her and woo her back, or you cower as you always have, Son, and constantly look behind your back" Beverly had a way of cutting to the chase, even if it was difficult to hear.

"Maybe but if we do get back together then it will be up to her to come to me, I am done with chasing women" Leonard's pride was showing through again.

"Leonard has Penny ever told you she has any regrets and shown you any reason that she is perhaps trying to change not only for herself, but for you as well?" Beverly asked.

"I don't know…I guess, maybe" Leonard shrugged.

"I will tell you what I know from Sheldon and from my homegirl. Yes, I have spoken to Penny. While she never went into any details, and neither did Sheldon, I knew something was amiss that caused you and she to have a wall between you. However, she blamed herself completely and took full responsibility. She told me that she loves you and that you will be her only true love. She has been working hard at going to therapy and building a life for herself should you never let her back into your life. Now that sounds to me like she has had regrets." Beverly relayed. "Now you know I don't believe in all this true love mumbo jumbo, but my point is, Son, she is trying. She is working on establishing a life with or without you, but she made it clear she prefers it to be with you."

Leonard took in all that his mother said, but the hurt was still a large sting. "I can't chase after her anymore, I don't want to get hurt again."

"You do know you won't lose any masculinity points by actually talking to her first, Leonard. "

"What do you mean?"

"Put your ego aside. Think about what you really want in life. If you want a life with Penny, it isn't going to happen through stubborn ego-driven mania. Penny has vowed that she won't ever do what she did again and even now that she is on the way to becoming independent and successful. She has made it clear that she still wants you. She is able to commit to you and only you. But from her perspective, she has no idea how you feel. She only knows that she betrayed you. She feels guilt and remorse. She can't beg and beg you back into her life and she feels unworthy of even asking at this point. Can you see it from her perspective?"

"So you are saying I should just suck it up and talk to her anyway?" Leonard was not surprised his mother would not see his side of things, but she also was striking a nerve with him on the subject.

"Leonard I am just giving you some advice, how you choose to deal with it, is up to you. Don't always be so narrow minded and only see things from your perspective. Look at them from her perspective and it will help you come to a decision. Now I have to go to bed, we can talk more tomorrow if you like" Beverley rose from the couch and walked off to the bedroom.

"By the way, Celine will be here at 7:00 AM for breakfast. Don't be late" were her final words before leaving the room.

Leonard didn't move but sat in deep thought for a long time. He realized his mother was right about one thing. He had only been looking at things from his perspective and not from Penny's. He got up and padded down to his room. Changing out of his clothes into his T-shirt and boxers, he brushed his teeth and crawled into bed. Setting his glasses on the nightstand he turned off the lights and lay there thinking before sleep overcame him.

_**Big thanks to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** who wrote the whole Leonard/Beverley talk**_

_**Next Chapter up in a few days**_


	35. Chapter 35

_**Cheers for reviews, they are all appreciated**_

_**Christmas and New Year - brief summary**_

Sheldon had invited Leonard to spend New Year with him and his family and Leonard had accepted after spending a few days in his mothers company who had given him lots of advice about the Penny situation. He arrived back in Texas on New Years Eve and Mary had offered him her guest room to stay in and Leonard and George had gone out to lunch returning several hours later to find Sheldon and Amy at the house with Sheldon inviting Leonard to stay until they left Texas on the 4th January as "there was nothing else to do"

Penny and Natasha spent time with their family and working at the store simultaneously and showing her family her store, they were unfortunately flying back to Nebraska before her talk show slot so were unable to take up Penny's invite but had said they would definitely watch when broadcasted,

Raj had been invited to Christmas dinner with Howard and Bernadette at Howard's mother's house and he also spent New Year with them along with Stuart and Kripke

_**Several days later back in Pasadena, January 6**__**th**__** 2014**_

Penny was due at the Craig Ferguson show for filming at 5pm. She arrived at the studio, along with her friends, at 3 PM. All those who accompanied Penny were shown to the audience area. Penny was ushered into a large room where there were hair stylists and make-up artists ready to take her and prepare her for the camera. She was shown a chair and the work began. Further on the other side of the room was another guest who was being prepared for a segment to follow hers.

Never having met Craig in person yet, Penny was glad that for her first meeting with him, she would be refreshed and looking her best. As she was half-listening to the woman working on her makeup, her nerves started to set in. She ran over in her mind anything she could think of that he might ask her. She really wanted to come across charming and entertaining, besides just a business woman. Truthfully, she had hoped that this might open doors to further acting gigs as well.

Penny was wearing one of her-designs, a dress made of pure silk in soft tones of pink mixed with more vibrant pink pattern. Her heels were a nude strappy pair, about 4.5 inches high.

Once makeup was done, the hairdresser began styling her hair. She asked the hairdresser to place a Penny Blossom in her hair that she had carefully selected to match the dress she was wearing.

Looking at her image, Penny was pleased with the finished product. She felt she looked exactly how she had hoped. She turned and made sure the dress complimented her figure properly and then took a deep breath.

Before she knew it, she was escorted to a stage door where she would wait while Craig opened up the show, entertaining the audience with his monologues and witty interactions with Geoff, the skeleton puppet. While she was standing there a sound tech came and wired her up, hiding all of the wires so that the audience would not see a thing. Her mic was hidden under an accessory that adorned her dress.

Penny's nerves built up again and she thought she needed a drink of water. She asked the tech if she could have some water and was handed a mug with water. She took a sip and smiled at the mug. She recognized it as one that Craig always had guests use on his show. Somehow she found it calming…that is until she heard Craig start to introduce her and show a clip from Home Shopping Network of her pushing Penny Blossoms.

"Well today's special guest has been all over the fashion magazines. Starting out as a starving actress, this young woman managed to go from rags to riches by taking her gift for fashion and turning into an international enterprise. Needless to say, her business savvy and charm have since won her several roles in acting. Please join me in giving Penny a warm welcome" said Craig as Penny appeared from behind the curtain and began to walk across stage, waving to the audience as she gingerly approached Craig. He quickly hugged her and whispered a couple of things in her ear. She smiled and whispered back and then moved around the stage to take the chair next to him. She sat down and smoothed out her dress, crossing her legs and sat with her back straight, quickly turning to scan the audience for her friends who were in the back row. She quickly nodded and smirked at them, winking, before turning to look at Craig.

"Hello Penny, how are you?" Craig smiled welcomingly.

"Hi Craig, it is so nice to meet you." Penny giggled then added "You know… oh wow...you have blue eyes…you know, I watch you every night and you're the last man I see before I sleep." Penny turned to the audience raising her eyebrows in a teasing manner while shrugging her shoulders and giggling.

"Is that right, well I am honoured" Craig teased, flashing his bright teeth while laughing with her.

Penny giggled again and blushed "Well yes, but anyway. Did anyone tell you that you should wear more blue? It really enhances your blue eyes."

"Actually yes, I have been told by several stylists to wear blue" Craig teased while rolling his eyes jokingly, and then he grew a bit more serious. "You really do know your stuff, don't you, Penny. You have been the gossip in the fashion world a lot recently, how does it feel to suddenly be propelled into the limelight" asked Craig, smiling wide. He immediately liked Penny. She was direct, flirty and everything he desired in a guest.

"Me? In the limelight? I wouldn't know about that. I haven't had any time to notice, I have been so busy with my Penny Blossom line."

"A year ago nobody knew who you were and now you have your acting career, Penny Blossoms, your gig on Home Shopping Network, and your high-fashion store outlet. I hear the fashion world even wanted you to model your outfits on the catwalk?"

"When you put it like that, I do sound amazing, don't I" she winked out at the audience, shrugging and giggling. "Yes, I was offered to do the catwalk, but honestly, I just think keeping up with all that I do have daily is hard enough…that adding another thing on my plate would not leave me anytime to do anything but work, work, work." Penny teased. She picked up the mug she had placed on his desk and began to take a sip.

"Have you always wanted to act? I mean you have such a good business sense as well. But what is it about acting that you love so much?"

"Well, I just like to play other people. I mean people are so interesting. It is fun to get into who they are, you know? I moved from Nebraska to here 7 years ago hoping to make it big, but this is a hard business to break into. I was able to get a few commercials and stage plays, but to be honest, I also had representation that wasn't terribly active."

"Oh yes, I think everybody remembers the haemorrhoids commercial" said Craig as the TV monitors in the studio played it back and everybody including Penny laughed.

"Yes, I was the Face of Haemorrhoids for a while" Penny giggled. "Just think about how many butts I managed to ease." Both she and Craig laughed until they cried. "I guess that gives a new definition to being a man's butt girl."

"There are worse things I could of done I guess!" Penny said, laughingly, "I mean I could have been cast as a pig with diarrhoea. Just think, I could have been Miss Piggy with the runs." Laughter bust out throughout the audience and on stage.

Craig could not stop laughing so hard, that he signalled to have Geoff transition to commercial while they tried to compose themselves. Returning back from commercial, Craig asked, "So how come all of a sudden, everything is happening for you? I mean you went from a starving actress wannabe to a mega mogul."

Penny went silent for a moment and looked up at her friends in the audience and took another sip of her water. "It was down to my friends who are up there. Without them I wouldn't have been able to do anything. They encouraged me. See all of them were so accomplished and I felt like I was nothing. But they encouraged me and helped me realize my goals and dreams." Penny looked back up and them and smiled, then blew them a kiss, as the audience all went "Awww", Craig included.

"Awww…They are obviously good friends then" Craig admitted.

"Yes they are and even when I hurt them, they stood by me. Without going into too much detail, they pulled me back from a deep depression and encouraged me to go for my dreams. I can't thank them enough. I hope they know how sorry I am for all the hurt I caused" Penny was looking directly at Leonard who acknowledged her with a nod of the head. She locked eyes with them for a couple of moments and then realized that she was still on camera so shook herself out of the serious mode. Teasing Craig, she said while shrugging and smiling big with a wink, "Anyway, Penny's life told on the Craig Ferguson show. I feel like I have made it into big time being here next to you talking on your show."

"You have made it big" Craig said with emphasis on the word "have". "What does that mean anyway? You always hear about making it big, but what does that mean?" He looked out at the audience shrugging and giggling at the same time with his hands out in front of him.

"Well, it means you are on the Craig Ferguson show, of course" Penny flirted back, teasing him. "No, seriously, I have no idea, but I just feel pretty special being able to come onto your show tonight."

"You are so sweet. You know, you are a lot of fun. You hear about a mogul and you immediately think they are all business and no fun, but you are fun" Craig said. Then changing topics he asked "How are sales going at the store, now that you have been open for a few months?"

"Very well! I mean, it's early days yet but we are doing very well. Why do you want a free shirt or something?" Penny laughed while teasing him. "No seriously, we have considered starting a men's line. If I had a men's line would you wear it?" Penny enticed.

"Yeah, I would definitely try your men's line. I mean I get wardrobe people here buy my clothes for this show, but yeah" Craig graciously answered. Trying to avoid any further awkwardness he asked, "And you were in a web series, is that right? How is that going for you?"

"Well I am contracted up to the summer when we wrap up the series. It isn't something that would have multiple seasons. Hopefully, I will get cast in something else." Then looking out toward the camera she teased "So I'm available. Call me with your projects" while making the "call me" gesture. "I quite like presenting on HSN, but I still love acting and have a passion to bring characters to life. Fashion, of course, is a huge passion of mine as well. If I can continue to do both, then I will be a very happy girl" Penny said batting her eyes at the same time.

"So if you could do it all you would?" Craig pursued. "That's quite a full plate."

"Yeah, well if I could I would love to do both. But it also creates a lot of conflicts between the two disciplines."

"Why's that?" Craig encouraged.

"Well doing both jobs at the same time is demanding, and there are only 24 hours in a day, right?" Then she looked out at the audience and repeated "right?" shrugging. "I have to sleep at least 8 hours of that time" she threw up her hands for justification and continued "so that means the rest is for work and, well, hopefully for some social life, although I haven't had much time for that."

Again, she turned to the audience and teased "So if you are single, successful and hot, call me" giving the "call me" sign again with her hands and laughed. "No seriously, I have a list of people who want me to be their personal stylist at the store. Since I have to timeshare doing work at the store with the web-series, I am only there 3 days a week for a few short hours. It's difficult arranging my schedule so that I can meet all expectations. The good news is that I have some excellent and experienced stylists who work for me at the store. They can fill in for me when I really can't be there. But I hate letting people down as well."

"Can't you just say no, but that you have a staff of stylists who can assist them? Surely they know you have a full plate as it is" Craig was astounded by this information.

"Yeah…yeah…well I guess I just like to make people happy. Whether it is acting in a role or making pretty things for them, or helping them find out what enhances their appearance, I just like to make them happy." Penny admitted.

"You are quite remarkable. So what kind of acting roles would you like to be cast in?" Craig asked.

"You know, I am open to anything, but I love comedy. I don't even care what discipline, because I love stage, television and the big screen" Penny admitted. "I guess comedy would be my first choice. But as I said, I am open to dramatic roles as well."

"Hey producers, she's available for hire. Give this girl a call. She is unstoppable" Craig said toward the cameras while pointing back at Penny. "Penny it was a delight having you on the show tonight. You are not only beautiful and charming, but quite an inspiration." He continued looking over at Penny again. "Want to throw Frisbees at the horse?" Craig was leading them into transition before commercial break.

"Sure, but let me tell you, I still have a good Nebraska throwing arm" Penny teased.

"No, really? I dare you" Craig taunted.

"You're on. I am very competitive, trust me!" Penny said as he handed her Frisbees. She stood up and began tossing them with perfect aim, speed, and accuracy that the horse kept ducking out of the way afraid to be decapitated.

As the audience was clapping wildly, she was playing up to the audience, the horse, and Craig. Craig said "Good God, she is dangerous with that arm. Glad I didn't have to do a wrestling scene with this one" pointing back at Penny and with that they transitioned to commercial break and "cut" was called.

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**Thanks to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** who helped massively with the talk show interactions**_


	36. Chapter 36

_**Thanks for reviews and follows**_

Two days after the filming of Penny on the Craig Ferguson show, it was time for Sheldon and Amy's wedding reception. It was being held at the Langham Hall Spa Hotel that Sheldon had taken Amy to on for her birthday. They had booked one of the ballrooms and had booked rooms for their guests to stay in, courtesy of Sheldon who managed to arrange every detail before their wedding in Texas. He left no detail unturned and also managed to get special permission to have Daisy in the hotel and Daisy would be staying in Leonard's room after the party.

Sheldon had also requested that if anybody wanted to give them gifts to donate what they would of spent to the local Animal Charity for which he had given details of in the invitations he had sent out.

In the morning, Penny had texted Leonard asking him to come to her apartment to meet and talk before the party. He replied back that he would be there.

Leonard arrived at Penny's already dressed and ready to go. He had been pondering so many things about their friendship and relationship recently. He was hoping that whatever happened with the meeting with Penny, that both would leave the meeting on a positive note. He had seen a drastic change in Penny from the girl he met years ago. She was self-assured, accomplished and yet still had that same bubbly, loving personality that drew him to her in the first place. He liked the new version even more than the old one he fell in love with. He felt that he could easily fall in love with her all over again, not that he ever fell out of love with her. But now, he felt that they could really build a future together. Needless to say, he knocked on the door to her apartment with hope.

Penny opened the door happy and relaxed to see Leonard. She was wearing a cream dress and cream heels and had her hair up in a bun. While inside she was a bundle of jitters, her exterior did not betray her nerves. She appeared completely confident.

"Hi Leonard, I am glad you could come. Please come in." Penny directed him to a chair next to the sofa. "I really wanted to talk to you, but because of the topic of discussion, I felt it best we do so here so as to not intrude on Sheldon and Amy's moment."

"Sure, sure….I understand. So what was it you wanted to discuss?" Leonard tentatively asked. His nerves were getting the better of him. Penny always managed to have a way to put him in a flux.

Penny smiled at Leonard and offered him a drink. He refused, saying he was driving and felt it unwise to drink. Penny joined him on the sofa, opposite the chair he sat. Bracing herself, Penny took Leonard's hand into her and surprisingly for her he didn't pull away. She then looked him tenderly in the eyes and began, "Leonard I want you to know that I miss you and I love you and I am so sorry for hurting you. I realize I am to blame for causing you great pain and I would do anything if I could take that back. But I can't. Instead, I focused these past months on becoming someone you could trust. I focused on becoming a better person overall; a person with goals and aspirations who went out and sought them; a person who turned from being needy and using people, well men, to lean on and instead became independent. Leonard, I did this not only for myself, and yes it was for me mainly, but also so that you could see I was serious in my feelings for you. I wanted you to know that I am no longer the young needy girl that you met the day I moved into our building. I wanted you to see that I can exist on my own and I can have a full life with or without a man. But that does not mean that I have ever stopped loving you and I would do anything to have you back in my life and want to commit myself to you in every way. Leonard, I love you with all my heart. Can we possibly try again?"

"I know you are sorry, Penny. I can see that you have worked hard and achieved amazing things." Leonard said softly, swallowing back tears that came to his eyes. He had been so touched by her declaration. "Penny, I never stopped loving you, but I think I am even more in love with this version of Penny. You have achieved great things in such a short time. It isn't that I didn't love the previous Penny. You are still the same loving, sweet, vibrant girl I always loved. But you needed to love yourself as much as I loved you. I think you can do that now. I think you are happy with whom you are and you feel accomplished and that you don't have to feel inferior to us. See you used to think you were not good enough for me or the rest of the gang because of our educations. But you have always been good enough. You just knew different things than we knew. But Penny, you have always been special. However, now, I think you don't feel that way because you have come into your own. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

"Um…I think so. So you are saying that because I went after some goals and achieved being successful at them that I no longer feel as needy?" Penny wanted clarification.

"Yes, that and well, you are more content with who you are. You are shining like a star now, Penny. You have managed to get acting roles, which was your dream, while at the same time pursued a second dream of yours which is to make a difference in the fashion world. You have become content that you have something to offer the world besides your beautiful looks. I am so proud of you, Penny." Leonard said with genuine love shining in his face.

"You are?" Penny blushed.

"Yes, and in case you haven't figured it out. I never stopped loving you, but now love you even more."

"Do you think we could get back together?" Penny asked tentatively, afraid she might be pushing him too quickly.

"I would like that Penny, but things will have to be different this time. We have both grown up a bit and changed since we dated last. We cannot allow things to go back the way they were. You are now very independent, one of the things I love about you, and I don't want to get in the way of that. So, I have a suggestion, and I feel that it's the best way forward" Leonard offered.

"Really? I am open to suggestions, what is do you propose?" Penny was intrigued, yet hopeful.

"I recommend we have a trial period of just going on dates; learning to trust each other again; and no pressure. I recommend we don't let our physical attraction get in the way of us getting to know each other again as the new versions of us" Leonard proposed.

"A trial period? That sounds doable. What kind of time frame were you thinking? Also, do we set some sort of criteria for success and progress?"

"I have been thinking about this for a while. I would suggest dating for 3 to 6 months avoiding sex. Let's just focus on getting to know each other again. Perhaps we can go on two dates a week and we both choose where we would like to go. You know, as crazy as Whackadoodle is, he and Amy seemed to handle their relationship well. They took things very slow and became deep friends before introducing anything physical."

"Hmmm…you are right about Sheldon and Amy. They really were a good set of role models for how to take things slow." Penny admitted. She looked off out the window for a few moments thinking about Leonard's proposal and then replied "Ok, I can live with sex off the table. It isn't like I haven't been doing that since before you left for the North Sea anyway. However, I do have one more question" Penny confirmed.

"Yes? Go ahead what is it?"

"While I agree that it makes sense for sex to be off the table, and for us to take things slowly so we can get to know each other again, but does that mean all forms of physical contact are off the table? In other words, are you saying that you won't kiss and cuddle with me or hug me?" Penny cringed at the mere thought, and closed her eyes afraid of the answer.

"Of course I want to kiss and cuddle with you. I just want to take things slowly and I think our relationship will benefit from that in the long run. Let's just start simple. We talk then possibly do that eye thing that Sheldon and Amy used to do. Then hold hands. You know, work up to kissing and hugging and cuddling."

Penny hadn't really seen Leonard take control of their relationship before. This was new ground for them. She knew how much it had taken for Leonard to forgive her for what she did. There was no way she was going to take for granted his graciousness. She wanted to be with Leonard again and to commit herself to him this time around fully and completely. She knew it would take time. Therefore she replied back to his plan, "Ok I agree with all of your terms. Do we shake on it?" she asked giggling unsure how to proceed.

"Sure" Leonard laughed. They shook hands and Penny looked down at his hand in hers and smiled.

Looking back up to Leonard and holding his eye contact, she boldly asked, how would you like to accompany me to Sheldon and Amy's wedding party as my official date?"

"I would be honoured!" Leonard replied. He looked at her briefly and was about to excuse himself when Penny interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you staying at the hotel tonight as well? Penny inquired.

"Yes it makes sense especially if we are all drinking. I saw Natasha earlier and she mentioned you are sharing a room?

"Yes it was just easier that way. We put out notification and posted at the store that we would be closed for tomorrow. It makes sense as Alex will be at the party tonight with the rest of us, and it's only fair that she can relax and have a good time without worrying about managing the store in a state of being hung over."

"Are you driving with Natasha to the hotel? Because I will be happy to escort you both" said Leonard.

"No she's going straight to the hotel as she is working today so we can meet her there" said Penny. Familiar repetitive knocking of Sheldon sounded from the door. Penny went to the door and answered to find Sheldon and Amy outside.

"Hey guys, I was just leaving" Leonard said. "See you in a little while?" he said turning back to Penny after he had just stepped outside the door.

"Yeah, looking forward to it" Penny blushed like a school girl. She waved goodbye to him as he walked away and then looked to her guests.

"Hey you two you both look gorgeous in your reception outfits" said Penny.

"Thanks Bestie, you look delightful as always" said Amy who was looking very much the radiant bride and from having two weeks off work, not to mention all the sex she was getting.

"Married life seems to be suiting you both. You look very happy together. By the way, when you Skyped your wedding to us, I managed to record it as well so I will be taking my laptop to the party and showing it on a screen there" said Penny.

"Penny that's fantastic!" Amy enthused.

"When I found out where you were holding the reception, I called the hotel and asked them to arrange the audio-visual equipment. They said it wasn't a problem. I figured this way all your work friends will be able to see the wedding as well" Penny shrugged.

"Thank you Penny that's very kind of you" said Sheldon. Looking at Sheldon stunned, Penny was surprised at the unexpected compliment.

"So Bestie, what's happening with you and Leonard" asked Amy, never one to beat around the bush as Sheldon went back to the apartment to talk to Leonard

"Well, Leonard and I have agreed to have a trial period of dating for 3-6 months. We will take things slowly and see how things go without too much pressure. It was his idea and I agree with it" smiled Penny causing Amy to squeal in delight for her best friend

"Ok the reason we came over and we haven't told Leonard yet is that we have arranged for a Limo to take us to the hotel and back again tomorrow and if you and Leonard would like to join us you are more than welcome" said Amy

"Oh sure, Leonard had agreed to be my date for the wedding but that sounds cool going in the Limo"

"Good we will see you at 4pm, Sheldon wants to get there early to check everything over" said Amy as she went back to the apartment

_**Later on at the hotel**_

The little group arrived at the hotel and checked in and took their bags to their rooms and Daisy was wearing the pink bow she wore for the wedding photos and was behaving impeccably, Sheldon and Amy went down to the function room to find everything under control with the room beautifully decorated and a top table set up for Sheldon and Amy and other individual tables with seating plans and Penny had already set up her laptop to show the wedding, the guests were due to start arriving at 6pm as the official celebrations were starting at 630pm and Sheldon wanted everybody to be there for he and Amy to make their official entrance as the newly married couple.

Sheldon and Amy were just leaving the function room and passing through reception to go back to their room when he heard a familiar voice calling him, turning back round he saw his Mom, Meemaw, Missy and George all walking into the hotel

"What are you all doing here? Asked Sheldon in surprise

"You think I was going to miss my Shelley's wedding after party? Asked Mary

"No but you did come to the actual wedding that's why I didn't think about asking you to come to this one, but I am happy you are all here" said Sheldon as he hugged everybody in delight

"Well when I found out from Penny where the party was, we booked the hotel and flights straight away and here we are" said Missy

"Ok well we are just going back to our room to finish getting ready and we will be ready soon" said Sheldon

By 630pm everybody had arrived and Leonard, Raj and Howard had been given the responsibility of escorting the guests to their tables and once everybody was ready Leonard called Sheldon to come down from his room.

"Sheldon I feel nervous for some reason, I think it's because they will all be seeing us for the first time since we got married" said Amy who was looking pale

"Amy its fine, you have me and in that room is our family, friends and work colleagues, don't worry yourself or you will make yourself ill, just enjoy tonight and we can have some fun time after" said Sheldon wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively

"The suggestion of fun time appears to have perked me up!" said Amy as she kissed her husband passionately before they got up and left the room with Daisy in tow in her pink bow

As they arrived at the door to the function room Leonard signalled to the DJ to play "The Way You Look Tonight" as agreed but before that he himself took to the stage and made an announcement

"Ladies and Gentleman can you please be upstanding for the bride and groom" said Leonard as the music started up and everybody who was in the room stood up and applauded them as Sheldon and Amy walked into the room beaming from ear to ear and they walked up to the stage and waited for the music to stop before addressing everybody

"I would just like to say thank you to everybody for coming today to celebrate the marriage of Amy and I, it was a surprise to her and all my family when I proposed to her and announced to her on December 23rd that we would be getting married, what nobody knew apart from my sister Missy was that I had arranged everything beforehand and I know it was a bit ego like to presume Amy would say yes but I had to take that risk and I know that we will be married forever" said Sheldon as took Amy in his arms and he kissed Amy in front of everybody causing whoops and wolf whistles to reverberate around the room

"Also Penny managed to record the wedding, as we skyped it to our friends back in Pasadena, so at some point tonight you will all be able to watch it on the big screen, in the meantime please enjoy tonight" said Sheldon as he shook Leonard and the DJ's hand and walked off to the top table that had his immediate friends and family seated. Amy's mother was also there along with her Aunt Flora and some other relatives who were at other tables

The dinner was served first and as dessert was served the wedding started to play on the big screen and there was absolute silence as everybody watched the wedding.

After the wedding showing, Sheldon and Amy took to the dance floor for the first dance which again was Bryan Adams, Everything I do I do it for you, about halfway through the song Penny took Leonard's hand and took him to the dance floor and was slow dancing with him which led to all the other couples joining them and Raj had asked Natasha and Alex to dance with him at various points of the songs that the DJ was playing

Much later on, Sheldon and Amy had gone to sit back down, when President Siebert and Dr Carter approached them both and sat down next to them

"Dr Cooper and Dr Fowler congratulations on your marriage and thank you for inviting us to the party, as you know the University will give a gift to anybody getting married, so please accept this cheque and I hope you have a long and happy marriage" said President Siebert as he handed over a cheque for $1000 and Dr Carter also did the same thing from her University, leaving Sheldon and Amy stunned into silence for a moment

"Thank you very much President Siebert and Dr Carter, we was not expecting this at all, it's very much appreciated" said Amy

"Well you have both worked very hard this year and it's also a token of our appreciation for you both" said Siebert as he and Dr Carter got up and went back to their own table

"Wow, Sheldon I think we can add that to our house fund"

"Yes I agree, I should think we could start looking after we get back from our European trip"

"I agree, now I would really like to have that fun time you mentioned, do you think it would be rude to just leave or do we need to make an announcement" asked Amy

"Well it is getting late and it wouldn't be rude at all" said Sheldon as he got up and walked with Amy to the stage

"Ladies and gentlemen, we would just like to say a big thank you to everybody for coming and for all the donations you have given, Amy and I are doing the traditional thing of leaving before everybody but please feel free to carry on and enjoy yourselves" said Sheldon and he picked Amy up and walked off the stage and out the door with her with everybody cheering them, with Amy remembering to throw the bouquet she had in her hands which both Penny and Missy caught together

As they walked into their room, Amy took her shoes off and started to walk to the bathroom when Sheldon followed her and pressed up against her as she leaned on the door and kissed her passionately, she could feel just how aroused Sheldon was when Sheldon picked her up and took her to the bed where he lay on top of her kissing her intensely and running his hands up her covered body

"Sheldon I am just going to change into something sexy for you" said Amy as she tried to get up

"You always look sexy to me Amy, you don't need to change" said Sheldon as he continued to kiss her, but then he realised being fully clothed wasn't ideal so he got up and they both changed very quickly out of their wedding outfits and Sheldon stayed fully aroused as he saw the familiar curve of Amy's body and her swinging breasts

Sheldon brought Amy back to bed kissing her and exploring each others bodies, they were both getting used to making love and Sheldon for the life of him could not understand why he had been so afraid of doing so before, but he was lucky that Amy was as inexperienced as him as they were both learning together and it had only been 2 weeks since they got married

Sheldon moved on top of Amy and took her breasts in his hands and started fondling them and sucking on her hard nipples, Amy manoeuvred herself so that she had wrapped her legs around Sheldon's and was rocking against him making little moans of desire which made Sheldon kiss Amy harder and they continued like that for some time, when Amy felt Sheldon's hand fondling her upper leg and guided his hand into her, Sheldon could feel how wet she was, he hadn't done that before and was fascinated and he continued to kiss her as he fingered her, causing little ripples of lust go through her body. Sheldon wanted to be inside Amy and she nodded her approval, he quickly got a condom on and he guided Amy on top of him and his erection into her and soon they were making love with Amy rocking on top of him and his hands around her waist for support, Amy felt herself coming to orgasm very quickly and tried to hold back but couldn't, causing her body to shudder and shiver on top of Sheldon and that made Sheldon orgasm shortly afterwards

They both lay sweating and panting on top of each other afterwards, feeling very satisfied

"Amy Farrah Cooper, I love you"

"I love you too Sheldon Cooper, that reminds me I have to change all my personal details, I've not done it yet" said Amy

"Amy if that is all I do for the rest of my life, I will die a very happy man" said Sheldon

"Well if you are ready we can always go again but I have another position we can go in" said Amy

"Well you are calling me intrigued, what other position would you like" asked Sheldon

"I will show you now" said Amy as she rolled over and got onto her hands and knees and guided Sheldon towards her.

_**Thanks for reading, I think people can use their imagination for the last bit!**_

_**Big thanks to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** who helped with the Leonard and Penny discussion**_

_**Next chapter up in a few days**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**Many thanks for all the reviews and follows, they are all appreciated**_

_**There will be some smut **_

_**Just a short chapter this time**_

_**5 months later - update**_

Amy and Sheldon had a week off at the end of February and had gone on a belated honeymoon to New York for the week, they had left Daisy with Leonard and Amy's mother had paid for the trip as her Wedding gift to the couple. They had also gone to view some properties just to get an idea of what they would like in the future.

Sheldon's family had come over in March for a week and Amy's mother had also joined them for several days out and getting to know the new family which also included their immediate social group.

Amy had implemented a new addiction study that was now in place at UCLA, she had organised a 6 month study of heroin addicted rats and for the first 4 months of the study they would be given Heroin every day before being reduced to every other day and Amy assistant was taking over when Amy and Sheldon went to Europe for their work trip

Leonard and Penny were enjoying their new dating plan and were getting closer again, they had resumed intimate physical contact and Leonard found he was able to trust Penny more and they had progressed to him spending one night at week at Penny's apartment.

Penny's store was doing very well and she had brought in her jewellery collection with the Penny Blossom motif and they were also selling well. They had also had requests for a Men's clothing design but after a meeting Raj and Penny had decided to wait a year or two before they opened their Men's only shop, just to make sure they were on a stable financial footing, the Penny Blossoms were selling very well with sales of over 120,000 with the majority being bought in bulk by event occasions.

Howard and Bernadette announced that they would be having a baby which was due in September and which Raj was delighted about as they would be making him Godfather

Raj and Natasha had recently gone on a few dates and they were having fun together, nothing too serious

_**Day of Sheldon and Amy's work trip to Europe**_

Leonard had agreed to look after Daisy with Raj also offering to take her for some days so Cinnamon could have a playmate.

Sheldon and Amy arrived at Edinburgh airport after almost 24 hours of flying, they picked up the rental car and drove to the hotel which was situated next to Edinburgh Zoo and checked in, then went straight to their room which thanks to their change of plan from the original plan of driving straight to St Andrews the University had paid for.

They walked into their room following the porter who had their bags and Amy flopped down on the bed and waited for the porter to leave after Sheldon tipped him

"Sheldon I don't know about you but I am exhausted and hungry, do you want to have a little sleep before dinner? Its only 5pm so we could go for dinner at 7 if we book it" asked Amy

"I'm not sure that I want to have a big dinner, maybe if we can get a takeaway, I noticed a Chinese restaurant on the way here that's close by"

"Sure maybe we could phone reception to see if they have their number and if they deliver here" said Amy

"Ok I will do that, also I hope we can have some fun time before bed" said Sheldon hinting at Amy

"Oh I think that's guaranteed" smiled Amy kissing him which led to them having a very long make out session on the bed with Sheldon on top of Amy and they completely forgot about their tiredness and were just happy to be with each other

"You know I can't get enough of you, I want you all the time now" said Sheldon afterwards as they cuddled together on the bed

"I know and I feel the same, we have this special connection which makes the pleasure we get from each other more intense"

"Well I know I have a lot of making up to do after so many years of avoiding this"

"Well I am happy to be on the receiving end! Replied Amy hugging Sheldon

Amy then phoned reception that sent up a takeaway menu and Amy phoned through to the restaurant for their food

Sheldon had been thinking hard about the end of this trip and what Amy didn't know was that he had a special plan for the end of their trip, as their last day was May 24th which just happened to be the anniversary of when they first met 4 years ago and their 6 month anniversary since they got married, he wasn't sure if Amy remembered the date but he wasn't going to spoil his plan now by telling her just yet

"Sheldon I had an idea and it's been something I've been thinking about for a while and it kind of ties in with what we are doing here"

"Ok I'm listening"

"As long as its ok with our Universities, we could arrange for maybe one day a week where we go to the schools of children under 10 and show them our work and get them interested in the sciences, or if they already are interested to try and persuade them to take up our respective careers when they get older"

"Well I like the premise of the idea but are you talking about doing experiments from a neuroscience point of view?"

"Yes and with the parent's approval I will take a selection of brains that the children could practice on with my supervision of course and you could also talk about your work"

"Ok that's something we can talk to Siebert and Dr Carter about when we return but I agree with the idea" said Sheldon as a knocking came from the door

Amy went to answer it and found the porter outside with their food, she tipped him and took the food and they sat down at the table and tucked into their food, both of them were very hungry after only having breakfast on the plane and nothing since.

"You know Sheldon afterwards maybe we could go for a little walk around the area"

"I can think of things I would much rather be doing" said Sheldon as he reached over to stroke Amy's face and kissed her tenderly and they had a little eye coitus moment

"Well when you put it like that, how can I refuse! We will have time in the morning after going to the Zoo perhaps but its not important, we don't need to be at St Andrews until tomorrow evening" said Amy as they finished up their food and collected the cartons ready to be thrown away

The couple moved to the sofa that was in the room and watched TV for a few hours before retiring to bed, but not to sleep especially after they were kissing on the sofa for some time and Sheldon was bursting to pleasure Amy as she was playing with his erection and he was starting to leak.

They quickly changed out of their clothes and got back in the bed and Sheldon moved on top of Amy, they continued kissing for some time while playing with various bits of each others bodies and soon Sheldon was sucking on her breasts while she wrapped her legs around his and pulled him closer so she could feel his erection against her wetness, he moved his hands into her wetness and was teasing her throbbing clit making Amy tremble in anticipation, Sheldon buried his head in Amy's chest and started kissing her neck all over and gently flicked her erect nipples and with his free hand continued to fondle her inside until Amy could take no more

"Sheldon you are going to make me come, oh my god" shouted Amy as her body started to rock and tremble under Sheldon, he could feel her orgasm with his hand and he found it fascinating

After Amy had recovered they continued kissing and Sheldon after putting on a condom, entered her and they rocked against each other for some time with Sheldon going deeper each time, all the while playing with every inch of her body and Amy writhing and moaning below him, Sheldon could feel himself coming and one last thrust into Amy made his body shudder and he too had an orgasm just as good as Amy had

"Amy you are magnificent and I don't want to ever let you go" said Sheldon as he lay on his side next to Amy, still wrapped in each others arms

"Sheldon you have nothing to worry about, I love you and I am going nowhere!" replied Amy as they had a short kiss and cuddled against each other

"You know I have never felt like this about anybody, Amy you are my everything I hope you know that"

"Of course, you tell me every time we make love" smiled Amy, she could feel he was getting hard again so reached down to his erection and pumped him, gently flicking the tip of his erection

"Oh Amy, you are going to hear that every day for the rest of our lives together, because I really do mean it and these are the proof of that" replied Sheldon pointing to their wedding rings and enjoying the sensation of Amy pleasuring him

"I think its time for us to sleep now and if we want to go to the Zoo and have a wander round Edinburgh, we need to be refreshed" said Amy

"Well we will probably take a few days to adjust to the time difference but yes I really want to go to the Zoo"

"Ok love you Sheldon" said Amy as they both stayed cuddling into each other and went to sleep

_**Next chapter will have a bit of everything and up soon**_


	38. Chapter 38

_**Cheers for reading**_

_**More Smut, there hasn't been a lot in the past for them but I wont be going over the top with it!**_

_**The next few chapters will be short ones as they are doing a lot of things over two weeks**_

Amy woke before Sheldon and trying not to wake him, started to get out of bed before being pulled back by Sheldon.

"Sheldon what are you doing? Asked Amy

"I don't want you to leave the bed just yet, you are an excellent bed mate" replied Sheldon holding onto Amy tightly and kissing her and running his hands over Amy's body which made her shiver at his touch.

"Sheldon you do know if you carry on doing that, we will end up staying in bed all day, not that I have any complaints about that" laughed Amy

"We can have some fun before we get up surely? Also you can finish off what you started last night" said Sheldon as he took Amy's hand and guided it to his now full erection, Amy started pumping his erection while she continued to kiss him and parted his mouth with her tongue and Sheldon did the same while he fondled her breasts, pretty soon Sheldon could feel he was going to explode if he did not come, when suddenly Amy released his erection and moved down his body, kissing every part of him until she came to his erection, then started licking and sucking his manhood, Sheldon could take no more and came in Amy's mouth and he felt overcome with desire to see her licking up every drop he had expelled from himself

"Amy I want to kiss you but you need to go wash your mouth out first!" said Sheldon

"Sheldon you do know that stuff came from you and won't hurt you" replied Amy

"Yes I know but that doesn't mean I want to taste it!

Amy went to the bathroom and washed her mouth out with mouthwash and brushed her teeth for good measure, then put the shower on and was testing the water when Sheldon appeared in the bathroom

"Are you not coming back to bed? Asked Sheldon as he walked towards her he cuddled against Amy's back, she could feel his erection pressing against her bottom and was tempted to take him back to the bedroom, but turned around and Sheldon moved her to the wall pressing up against her and kissing her intensely leaving them both breathless

"No we are supposed to be going out and we will probably never see Edinburgh again, so we may as well make the most of it, but we can have some more fun time tonight" said Amy slightly reluctantly not really wanting to leave Sheldon's arms

"Alright I will take your word for that" replied Sheldon bending down to kiss her breasts and erect nipples then kissed her again on the lips "You know I don't want to let you go but you are right about not missing out on the delights of Edinburgh, though I am looking at one right now" said Sheldon again

"Thank you Sheldon" replied Amy as he let her go and he went back into the bedroom to ring for room service, he knew what Amy liked for breakfast so went ahead and ordered their food

It was while they were eating breakfast that Sheldon told Amy about part of his plan for the following weekend in Barcelona

"Amy you know next weekend we have in Barcelona, how would you feel about us going to Zaragoza and seeing where Santiago Ramon y Cajal worked?"

"Sheldon how do you know about him?

"Well you remember Valentines day?

"Yes what about it?

"I asked Alex for ideas about what to get you and she mentioned him and oh hang on a moment" said Sheldon as he left the table and went to his suitcase and brought a package

"This is for you" said Sheldon passing Amy the package

Amy unwrapped the package and saw the drawing that Alex had bought on Valentines Day

"Sheldon this is wonderful but why are you giving it to me now?

"Think of it as an early anniversary gift, you remember that we will be celebrating 4 years together on May 24th?

"Yes of course and that happens to be our 6 month wedding anniversary, thank you Sheldon I shall put that up at home in our bedroom if that's ok and I have something for you but I want to wait until then"

"Of course" smiled Sheldon, he loved making Amy happy and didn't want anything in return and leant over the table to kiss Amy and they had a little cuddle

They finished off breakfast then left the hotel and walked round to the Zoo which was next to the hotel, they walked straight in showing their passes as Amy had already booked online and they looked at the large map of the Zoo which was just inside the entrance

"Where do you want to go first" asked Sheldon noticing that they must have been the first ones in as nobody seemed to be about, Amy noticed too

"The Zoo has only just opened for the morning so maybe the keepers are out feeding them and if we are lucky we might get to see some of that, let's go and see the Koalas first and then we can find the monkeys and other animals"

Sheldon and Amy spent the whole morning at the Zoo and stayed for the penguin feeding which was early afternoon before returning back to the hotel to have a late lunch and then returning to their room and packing up their things and checking out at 4pm, Amy noticed Sheldon was being very quiet though and had been for a lot of the day

"You know Sheldon I am glad we had this little break in between going to St Andrews university, it gave us some time to relax before what I know will be a busy week of teaching and travelling" said Amy as they walked towards the hire car

"I am too" smiled Sheldon looking at Amy as she hauled her bags into the boot and he did the same

"I love you Amy" said Sheldon randomly which made Amy look at him in surprise, he looked a bit sad

"What's wrong?

"Oh I just miss being away from our home and friends, I was reluctant enough to do this in the first place, you being here is the only reason I agreed to this and I really don't want to do it next year"

"Well lets see how this goes, it worked well enough in London and I can't see how it would be any different here and for the record, I love you too Sheldon, though I will also say I am completely and hopelessly in love with you and will be forever" replied Amy shutting the boot and turning to kiss Sheldon as she leant against the car

"I love you more than you will ever realise" said Sheldon kissing her again

"That's sweet, how about when we get to the hotel, we Skype our friends and chat with them, that might help with the homesickness?"

"Ok that sounds like a plan, maybe just Leonard and Penny though, the others are probably busy" said Sheldon as Amy hugged him, then got into the car, Sheldon had also added himself to the insurance and was going to drive them to St Andrews

"I hope you are ok with driving over big suspension bridges Sheldon because there is one coming up" replied Amy hoping it would spark Sheldon back into life, she wasn't wrong

"Oh yes, the Forth Road suspension bridge, at one point it was the longest suspension bridge outside the USA and the 4th biggest in the world, also there is a new bridge being built close by as it was deemed to costly to replace the existing one"

"Fascinating" replied Amy in truth she didn't care that much about it but was happy that Sheldon was

An hour and a half later they arrived in St Andrews and as Sheldon had put the hotel into the Sat Nav and pretty soon they were parked outside what appeared to be a pub

"Why on earth did the university book us into here and why did I not check beforehand" asked Sheldon out loud

"It might be ok inside and we are only here until Tuesday and we will only be sleeping and eating anyway, the rest of the time we will be at the university" replied Amy as they stepped out of the car and collected their bags and walked towards the entrance and a lady appeared in front of them

"Hello and welcome to West Port bar and guesthouse, have you booked a room here? Asked the lady who had a heavy Scottish accent

"Yes" said Amy showing her the booking details

"Ah yes, Dr Fowler and Dr Cooper we have been expecting you, I hear you will be teaching at the University this week?"

"Well that was the plan" smiled Amy

"Oh before I forget my name is Melinda and I am the owner, I have a small team of staff who will be happy to cater to anything you need, the restaurant is open until 11pm tonight if you wish to dine here this evening"

"Thank you, we will probably eat later on" replied Amy

"Good now let me take you to your room" said Melinda as she lead Sheldon and Amy up the stairs to a large room which included an ensuite, Melinda handed them their room key and left them to it

"You know Amy all things considered this is actually a nice place, the room is comfortable and the landlady is pleasant enough, maybe it's a good thing I didn't check beforehand"

"Yes and the University is at the end of this road, maybe that's why Siebert booked us here and it's a pretty little street"

"Its convenient at least, are you hungry?" asked Sheldon

"Yes but I think we should unpack first and then go down to the restaurant" replied Amy

After they unpacked they went down to the restaurant and had a roast beef dinner with vegetables, they noticed a guest at the next table was eating haggis, which made Sheldon feel queasy at the thought but it didn't put him off his dessert of chocolate and honey cheesecake.

Later that evening after having a walk around the small town, they returned to their room and resumed their morning activity of love making which left Sheldon feeling extremely satisfied that he could get so much pleasure out of something he once mocked Leonard and Penny for.

The next morning they woke early and got ready to go to the University, because of all the stuff they had with them, they drove the short distance and soon they were standing outside the entrance

"Are you ready to go" asked Amy looking to Sheldon

"As ready as I will ever be" replied Sheldon suddenly feeling nervous

"Sheldon you talking about your work is you at your best, you showed that in London"

"I know"

They walked into the University reception and introduced themselves to the receptionist who offered them a drink and asked them to take a seat while she called the University Director.

_**Next chapter up soon**_

_**Reviews are all appreciated**_


	39. Chapter 39

Sheldon and Amy were waiting in the reception when the Director of Education at the University appeared in front of them

"Hello I am Hamish McGregor and I am here to escort you around the University, now your first lectures are not until 11am and I have assigned you both two students to help you with anything you may need, both of the students are grad students in your of your fields and they have been briefed on the next two days activities. Would you like a quick tour?"

Amy and Sheldon both replied yes and Hamish took them round the main parts of the university before he met up with the grad students in the biology department

"Dr Fowler, this lady here is Becky and she is a 2nd year biology student and Dr Fowler this is Marcus he is in his 2nd of year of Physics, they are apparently both fans of your work"

Amy and Sheldon greeted their student helpers and Hamish showed Amy to the biology lecture hall which also had a laboratory attached to it and then took Sheldon to the physics department.

Amy's helper Becky had told her that her parents were both Neurosurgeons at different hospitals in London, which Amy was impressed by

At lunchtime Amy met up with Sheldon in the physics department, they had both had a good morning and Sheldon was impressed with the knowledge that the physics students had and the fact that they all seemed to be interested in what he was saying

"Come on lets go for lunch at the pub place we are staying in, we have 2 hours until this afternoons lectures" replied Sheldon

"Sure, Bernadette just text me to say she and Howard will be finding out the sex of the baby today, I replied back saying we will Skype them later this evening if that's ok?

"Of course and as we didn't Skype Leonard and Penny last night, we could also arrange so that everybody goes to ours and speak to them all together?

"Sure, I am glad though that we only have one lecture in the morning tomorrow, this morning was a bit tiring" Let me text Bernie and Penny and tell them to go to our place tonight" said Amy

That will be the jet lag catching up with us and you might want to make it around 10pm as they are so far behind us" said Sheldon

"Your right and the time zones in Europe differ by a couple of hours depending on where you are as well"

The afternoon went very well and Amy had passed round the prospectuses that UCLA and Caltech had sent and answered questions that the students were asking, some of them not entirely about the Universities and more about how far Las Vegas was from them

They returned to the pub hotel room and had dinner before returning to their room and having a chill out watching TV in bed for a while, Sheldon was feeling horny again and showed Amy just how turned on he was, Amy responded by sitting on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him with Sheldon running his hands through Amy's hair and around her back.

Much later after Sheldon had got a condom, he turned Amy onto her side with her back facing him and lifted her leg slightly and brushed his erection against her bottom and pressed against her and fondled her breasts, then as he entered her he could feel how wet she was, Amy responded by moving back onto Sheldon and letting him go deeper inside her, the sensations she was feeling overwhelmed her and she turned her body with Sheldon still inside her and he thrust in to her even more, while kissing her and burying his head in her delightful chest and he pumped inside of Amy and collapsed on top of her

"Oh Amy I needed that! Exclaimed Sheldon as Amy just smiled at him, she too was satisfied

"Lets have a little nap before we call our friends" said Amy snuggling into Sheldon's side and setting her phone alarm to wake them at 930pm

They both woke at 930 and had a quick shower before Skyping Leonard who answered straight away

"Hi guys how are you both doing? Asked Leonard as the rest of their friends appeared on the screen, along with Daisy who appeared happy to see her owners on the screen and started barking and trying to get closer

"Oh we are both fine, we are excited to hear Howardettes news" replied Amy as Sheldon nodded

"Howardette?" asked Bernadette appearing on the screen

"Yes it's your nickname for the two of you, everybody calls us Shamy, so we may as well give you that and Leonard and Penny "Lenny" replied Amy

"Oh fine, we found out today that we are having a girl" said Bernadette as Howard kissed her on the cheek

"Oh congratulations, do you have a name yet? Asked Amy

"Yes we want to call her Rose" said Howard

"That's a pretty name" said Amy

The group carried on chatting for a few more minutes when Leonard had something to say to Sheldon

"Sheldon, Raj will be taking Daisy next weekend as Penny and I are going to New York to see my mother"

"Ok well I hope you have a great time" said Sheldon

"Thanks, it will be our first weekend away since we got back together and it will be a text to spend it with my mother but she has requested to see us and I can't say no, as I haven't seen her since Christmas

"Yeah lucky us eh" replied Penny rolling her eyes as the group laughed at her expression

"So where are you going next on your trip? Asked Bernadette

"Well we have one more lecture here in Scotland and then tomorrow evening we are flying to Amsterdam for one day and then Barcelona on Thursday, we will be there until Sunday evening, then we are flying to Geneva for the rest of the time" replied Sheldon

"Sheldon is taking me to Zaragoza to see where Santiago Ramon y Cajal worked and he brought me a gift for our anniversary" said Amy as she went to her bag and showed them all the picture

"Oh Amy can you take pictures? Asked Bernadette who knew exactly who he was

"Sure"

"Ok we will let you go to bed as we know you are busy for the next few days" said Leonard

"Thank you Leonard, do you mind bringing Daisy to the laptop so I can say goodnight?" asked Amy which Leonard did and Daisy made everyone except Leonard laugh by licking the laptop screen

"Oh I feel guilty for leaving her behind, how are we going to do future trips if we have kids in tow" asked Amy

"Well they did say they would provide us with Nannies but that's way into the future, don't worry about it for now Amy" said Sheldon hugging her

"Amy, Daisy has been fine, she is well trained and she's just excited to see you" said Leonard as Daisy disappeared but could be heard barking in the background

"Well thank you for looking after her and goodnight" said Amy as they waved to their friends and switched the laptop off

"Amy what time is our flight to Amsterdam tomorrow? I can't find the details" asked Sheldon

"They are in my bag" said Amy checking "Oh it's at 430pm, it's a 2 and a half hour flight and we have a hire car again which we will have in Barcelona and Geneva"

"Oh at least we will get there for a late dinner, hopefully" replied Sheldon

"Yes and our lectures have been scheduled early tomorrow at 9am so will have plenty of time to come back and collect our things and drive back to Edinburgh"

"I think it would be prudent to pack up tonight though" said Sheldon

"Yes I agree" said Amy as they quickly sorted out their things, leaving out only their clothes for the morning, then they went to bed

The next few days were a blur of lectures, flights and different hotel rooms and by 8am Thursday morning they were on another flight, this time from Amsterdam to Barcelona, they had two lectures at the University of Barcelona, one on Thursday afternoon and one on Friday morning, they found the hotel they were staying in which was called the "Hotel Reding"

Sheldon having looked up this one, was very approving and was pleased to be staying there until Monday morning and he was excited for his plans to take Amy to Zaragoza on Saturday

_**Next chapter will have the weekend visit to Zaragoza and the remainder of the trip, then just so people know I will probably be moving it forward a few months for progression reasons**_


	40. Chapter 40

_**Have decided to skip over the rest of the trip as it is just work and not that interesting and I want to progress as I have lots of plans ahead and want to get to them sooner rather than later!**_

It was the final evening of their work trip, it had been a good trip and Sheldon and Amy had just returned from having dinner in hotel restaurant and Amy wanted to give her anniversary gifts to Sheldon, they were in the living room area of the hotel suite they had and were lounging on the sofa cuddling

The hotel they were booked into was set out like an apartment complex and their suite was overlooking Lake Geneva

"Sheldon I know you don't like fuss, so what I have got you to celebrate 4 years together is just a couple of silly little things just for fun" said Amy as she handed over two packages, which Sheldon immediately unwrapped and started smiling at the first one

"A love voucher book?" asked Sheldon leafing through the booklet and getting excited at some of the voucher possibilities which included an erotic section of Master and Servant, Sheldon intended to take that one up very soon

"Well I got the idea from you with your Cooper Coupons and I thought it would be fun, there are a few other things in there that we can do and there are no expiration dates" replied Amy

"Well I think it's a great idea" said Sheldon opening the 2nd gift which was a leather cufflink box. "This is lovely too, Amy thank you very much" said Sheldon kissing her to which Amy responded by wrapping her arms around Sheldon and kissing him back harder

"I am glad you like them" replied Amy smiling at her husband

"I do however have one more thing for you" said Sheldon as he went to his suitcase and brought out a package, Amy unwrapped it and found a signed portrait of Santiago Ramon y Cajal

"Sheldon you really know your scientists don't you!"

"I take an interest in what you do Amy and I may have derided your field of work in the past but that was wrong"

"I'm glad you see it that way! Replied Amy snuggling into Sheldon and kissing him again

"Come on lets sit outside for a while and admire the view, we have to be up early tomorrow and it is going to be a long day of travelling, but at least its at an end now" sighed Sheldon as they walked out onto the balcony

"You know Sheldon if you really don't want to do this again next year, just tell Siebert, you have done fantastically well the last couple of weeks and I'm sure he would see sense" replied Amy taking a sip of champagne

"Yes you might be right, we have a meeting with him on Wednesday morning to talk things over, I think he knows my reluctance so perhaps he would do well to recruit somebody else willing to travel so much"

After another hour sitting outside chatting, it started to get too cold so they went back inside and packed their things ready to go in the morning.

_**Back home**_

Sheldon had already let Leonard know they would be arriving at LAX at 7pm Monday evening and he would be picking them up, Leonard had also brought Daisy along to surprise them, she had coped well without her owners.

Leonard was waiting in the short stay car park when he saw them leave the building and quickly got out the car to help with the enormous amounts of luggage they had, as they approached the car, Daisy was going mad with happiness at seeing Amy and was trying to get out of the car through the open back window

"Oh Daisy" smiled Amy as she left the luggage to the men and got in the car and played with Daisy

"Has she been ok Leonard? Asked Amy as Leonard and Sheldon got into the car and Leonard started the car and they soon were on the way back to Pasadena

"Yes she's been absolutely fine, Raj also said she was not a problem when he had her last weekend" replied Leonard

"Thank you for picking us up, we are both exhausted from travelling and will probably go to bed when we get in, sorry to be unsociable" said Sheldon

"Sheldon that's ok, its not unsociable at all, I told everybody to come over at the weekend when you are both more settled back in at home and you will see the boys at work anyway, I will be staying at Penny's tonight so you will have the apartment to yourselves"

"Oh, how's that going anyway? Asked Amy

"Really well, we are still having one night a week together and I like the way its going, there is no pressure from either of us but we have made plans for the future and Penny even took my mother to a spa hotel for a massage in New York, which apparently my mother quite liked"

"Good I am glad for you both, its fortunate how things turned out for everything to be better, but at least you are both in a good place now" said Amy. Daisy had settled down and was now sleeping across the seat with her head in Amy's lap

Pretty soon they had arrived back home and Penny was also waiting at the entrance of the building to help with any luggage, though the three of them seemed to be just fine so she took Daisy instead and they all piled into the lift to their floor

"I ordered Pizza for you both and it's on the kitchen counter waiting for you, did Leonard tell you he's staying with me tonight? Asked Penny

"Yes he did and thank you for ordering Pizza Penny, that was very nice of you"

"No problem, I know that travelling can be tiring and wanted to help, anyway, welcome back" said Penny hugging Amy and Sheldon together

"Ok guys we will leave you to it" said Leonard as he and Penny went to 4b

"You know Sheldon we are not working tomorrow perhaps we could do have a little house search on the internet?

"I agree, it will be nice to have our own space, though I will miss Leonard enormously"

"We will have a healthy budget as well and as we are not in a chain we will have more choice probably"

"Yes now let's dump this stuff in our room and eat this pizza, my tummy is rumbling like crazy" said Sheldon

**Wednesday**

Sheldon and Amy arrived at the meeting with President Siebert and were waiting for him to arrive when Dr Carter appeared in the room

"Dr Carter I wasn't expecting you to be here" said Amy in surprise

"Yes I know but there have been some changes and plans for the future and its only fitting that I be here"

"How do you mean?" asked Amy curiously

"I will let President Siebert tell you" replied Dr Carter as Siebert strolled into the room and greeted everybody

"Now then, I trust you had a good trip? We again have had excellent feedback"

"Yes it was very good" replied Amy looking to Sheldon to say something but he was staying silent on the matter

"Good now what I am about to tell you is in the strictest confidence, there have been a few meetings recently and we have decided to have a proper full and functioning Neurobiology department here at Caltech, Dr Carter has been persuaded to move Universities once we are set up and Amy we would like you to continue the same position you had at UCLA here"

"Oh wow, really? Asked Amy

"Yes and it was down to your donor Faisal, he has donated a large sum of money to help get everything set up and if you wish to take the position you can bring your own staff with you from UCLA and you will be getting more money" replied Dr Carter

"Sheldon what do you think? Asked Amy

"Amy I think it's a great idea, you should accept the position and that also means when we are looking for a house it can be close by" replied Sheldon

"President Siebert how soon would you like me here? I have to give three months notice to UCLA"

"Well we are hoping that we will be ready in time for the new academic year in October, it would probably be best to give your 3 month notice from now, we are currently building a small unit that is specifically designed for your department, also we would like you to continue teaching if that's ok?2 asked Siebert

"Oh that's more than ok" said Amy excitedly

"One other thing President Siebert, I don't want to go on these trips anymore, they are draining and I don't enjoy doing them, perhaps it would be wise to recruit somebody to do it" said Sheldon

"Dr Cooper the plans for that are in place, I know how reluctant you were to do it and I am grateful that you did, we will be advertising soon, it was also why we gave you some extra holiday time"

"Really, you're not just saying that? Asked Sheldon dubiously

"Yes really, now if there is anything else? Asked Siebert

Sheldon and Amy shook their heads

"Ok then you are free to go" said Siebert

"Amy I will see you back at UCLA, we can talk more and if you could also talk to your study staff and see if they would be interested in joining us here that would be helpful, there will be pay rises for anybody that does" said Dr Carter

Amy nodded to Dr Carter and she and Sheldon quickly walked to car park

"Sheldon this so exciting, I can't think straight" said Amy

"I for one am glad you are going to be close by and congratulations" said Sheldon cuddling her

"Thank you, I think this gives cause to have a spontaneous celebration tonight! Said Amy

"You don't think UCLA will try and stop you leaving? Asked Sheldon

"I don't know but I have been there for all of my working life so it will be a wrench to leave, but this is an exciting opportunity and I am not going to turn it down" replied Amy unlocking her car

"This also means we can change our house search area too, though yesterday gave me some ideas about the style of house I would like" said Sheldon

"Yes I agree, Sheldon I would love to stay and chat but I really have to go, we can talk about it more later" said Amy reluctantly

"Ok, drive safely, love you" said Sheldon bending down to kiss Amy

"I will, love you!" said Amy as she drove off

Sheldon went straight to Leonard's lab to tell him the news, Howard and Raj just happened to be there also and they were happy for Sheldon and for Amy and agreed to come over to 4a that evening and promised to keep quiet until the news was announced officially, once Howard and Raj had left Sheldon also informed Leonard that he and Amy would be searching for houses in the area to live

"That's ok Sheldon, Penny and I have been talking a lot recently and I reckon by the end of year, Penny and I will be living together, we are so much happier now and the time we spent apart made us realise a lot of things about each other"

"Do you want to keep the apartment?"

"No I think we will do the same as you and Amy and buy a house, it will feel more grown up and Penny and I have done a lot of growing up the past year"

"Maybe we can do what we talked about before and find somewhere close to each other, I am pretty sure the girls would be happy about that"

"I like that idea Sheldon and I will miss living with you"

"Same here" replied Sheldon

_**Saturday**_

Sheldon and Amy had looked on the internet for houses in their local area and had 3 viewings booked for that day, they had agreed that they wanted at least 4 bedrooms, as they had plans for future children and wanted lots of space, the first house they went to was only a mile away at East Ashtabula Street and it was one that Sheldon had seen and liked and was trying to persuade Amy that it was a good choice to see

They pulled up outside and Amy could see why Sheldon liked it so much, it had a gated driveway and part of the building was two storeys with another part only one level and it was painted in a creamy colour. The realtor agent was waiting for them and took them inside and straight away there was a large central wooden curved staircase which Amy liked, they went around all the rooms, it also had 3 bathrooms, the only disappointment for Amy and she pointed it was that the garden was very small and completely paved over.

"Sheldon I mostly like it but we have another one to see and I don't want to make a decision just yet" said Amy taking Sheldon's hand

"Amy that's fine, I wouldn't expect us to make such a big decision after only seeing one house and I know we are not going to agree on all the same things though"

"Well the next one I know has a pool and I think that will be fun, we can have pool parties!" said Amy "Also it has a little annexe for if we have guests"

"Where is it? Asked Sheldon

"It just happens to be on Los Robles Avenue" replied Amy as they drove off back towards their home road and parked outside a house which had double frontage and had a ranch style decking extending the width of the house

"Amy this is beautiful and look it has two garages" said Sheldon looking round the side of the house

"This one has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms" replied the realtor letting them into the house and then leaving them to walk around the house alone, the house was empty of furniture and had recently been vacated but it was clean and freshly painted with wooden floors everywhere, with a large kitchen and dining room and all the bedrooms were a large size and there was a 20 metre indoor pool with a little sauna room beside it

"Oh Sheldon I think this is perfect" said Amy excitedly

"Yes I agree but remember there may be other things, so we can put this on our maybe list" replied Sheldon

"How many people have viewed this property?" asked Amy to the realtor

"Well it only came on the market yesterday and you are the first people to see it, the good thing is that you can move in straight away, as the owners have moved already" replied the realtor

"Amy I think we need to go and see the next house and then think about it, I don't want to decide just yet" said Sheldon

"I understand" said Amy

They went to see the next house which was on North Marengo Avenue and the house was beautiful and Amy fell in love with the large open plan kitchen but she kept thinking about the other house, luckily Sheldon was being the voice of reason, they had managed to save a lot of money for a deposit and to have a small mortgage and now that Amy would be moving to Caltech she would be earning more money and that would hep, Sheldon was also financially stable

On Sunday they talked seriously about which house to buy and finally made a decision to buy the house with the pool and they put in a bid first thing Monday morning which was accepted and they would be able to move in whenever was convenient for them

"Sheldon I can't believe it, we own a house! Said Amy jumping about and hugging Sheldon

"I know and all we need to do now is tell Leonard that we are moving out, albeit not very far seeing as the apartment block and the house are within viewing distance of each other" replied Sheldon

"Everything is perfect Sheldon and this is the perfect house to raise our children in" smiled Amy

_**Next chapter moving in and more**_


	41. Chapter 41

After the house sale was completed Sheldon waited until Leonard returned home from work to tell him the news, he was also waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive but wanted to talk to Leonard first, Amy had gone back to work to check up on the addiction study and would be home shortly and Sheldon had picked up the usual Chinese food that everybody liked

"Hi Leonard, I just want to let you know we have completed on a house and its close by"

"Oh how close?

"Its on Los Robles, just a bit further down from our apartment" replied Sheldon

"Congratulations, I take it you will be having a housewarming party?" asked Leonard

"Yes of course, probably the same day we move in" replied Sheldon as Amy walked in the door followed by the rest of their group

"Well Sheldon if you need any help moving I will be happy to offer my services" said Leonard as the others all offered as well

"Oh thank you, we will take you all up on that" said Amy "I also have to hire a van to collect all my furniture from my mother's house"

"Have you got the keys yet? Asked Penny

"Yes, perhaps if everybody wants to see it they can all come now? Asked Amy as everybody agreed so they left, Daisy also came too

They walked the short distance to the house and the group were impressed with the outside and the annexe above the garages, then they were even more impressed with the rooms inside and the pool

"I can see where we will be spending a lot of time" laughed Penny at the pool

"Well you are all welcome to come over anytime" said Amy

"When are you planning to move in" asked Bernadette

"We were hoping that if we can get everything packed up, then probably the weekend after next and Bernie you won't be carrying anything heavy in your condition, you can provide refreshments" said Amy

"Oh I can supervise as well then" said Bernie smiling at the group

"Leonard by the way we will be leaving the sofa there, after all it is yours" said Sheldon

"What about your spot?" asked Leonard

"Well Amy's settee is just as good and I will find a new spot and also if you boys would like to follow me I want to show you this room down the corridor that will be a game room just for us" said Sheldon as he showed them into a room overlooking the garden

"Is Amy ok with this? Asked Leonard

"Yes of course, she suggested it" replied Sheldon adding "Also as we have four bedrooms, we are going to use one of them as an office for the two of us, rather than having office space in the living room, we may as well make the most of all the space and there is an attic that's empty but in time if we need to we make the most of that"

"Well it doesn't look like much needs doing in the way of decoration" said Raj

"No we are lucky in that respect" said Sheldon as they walked out to the pool area where the girls were chatting whilst Daisy was busy swimming in the pool

The group then returned back to 4a and after heating up their food, had a good night together

The next day at UCLA Amy along with Dr Carter went to human resources to hand in her resignation, which was met with surprise but they accepted it and wished her luck for the future and agreed that she could leave at the end of September, she had also requested a week off which was accepted, as Sheldon had also done to organise the house moving

By the following weekend after many trips back and forth, with help from their friends and her mother taking Daisy so that she wouldn't be in the way, they were ready to move in, Amy had organised where everything was going and she and Sheldon had also been on a shopping spree buying extra furniture and blinds for the windows, they had also bought several comfy armchairs for the game room for the boys to relax on and beanie bags.

Sheldon and Amy had also taken the largest bedroom with the en suite as their own and would use the other rooms for their children when they came along

The garden came equipped with a built in barbeque and Bernadette had been cooking all the food and by 6pm all their friends and work colleagues that they had invited had arrived and Alex brought along her new boyfriend who was a personal trainer, they had been dating for a couple of months and she introduced him to Sheldon and Amy for the first time

"Hi guys thanks for inviting me, this lovely guy here is Dean" said Alex as Dean shook hands with Sheldon and Amy

"Nice to meet you" said Amy politely

"You too" said Dean

"Amy did you know that Natasha is dating Dean's brother Jack? Asked Penny who was standing close by

"No I thought she and Raj were going out?"

"Oh they were just going on dates, nothing serious" replied Penny as Natasha appeared with Jack which meant more introducing and soon enough everybody was in the garden enjoying each others company and Raj had organised the DJ that had played at Sheldon and Amy's after wedding party

After a few hours of celebrations, Sheldon went and found Amy who was chatting with Penny and took her upstairs to their room, locked the door and sat her down on their bed

"Amy when everybody has gone, I want to have my own private celebration with you" said Sheldon taking Amy in his arms, then laying down next to each other cuddling and kissing.

"I've been wanting to do that all day, you look very sexy in that dress you are wearing and I can't wait to get it off you" said Sheldon moving Amy's hand to his erection that could be clearly seen through his trousers

"Do you want me to relieve you now? Asked Amy unzipping his trousers and guiding his arousal out of his trousers

"Yes, no! I don't know! We have a house full of people and I don't want to be away from them for too long" said Sheldon clearly wanting to carry on but settled for lifting Amy's dress up and buying his head in her cleavage

"You can definitely do more of that later on" said Amy enjoying what Sheldon was doing

"Good, come on lets get back to our friends" said Sheldon kissing Amy again and taking her hand and walking back downstairs where Leonard was sitting at the bottom kissing Penny

"Oops sorry guys we will get of your way" said Penny who was looking very flushed

"Thanks" said Amy

"Are you two ok? Asked Penny

"Oh yes, we just wanted a little private moment that's all" said Amy smiling at her as Sheldon put his arm around her protectively

"Ok, Raj is organising some sort of Karaoke later if you want to join in? asked Leonard

"Not for me thank you" said Sheldon

"I might do" said Amy

The party carried on till early morning by which time everybody except Bernadette but including Sheldon and Amy were very drunk and Raj and Howard had passed out drunk on the sofa, Bernadette was unable to wake them so making sure they had water beside them, bid Sheldon and Amy goodnight and left with Leonard and Penny who offered Bernadette her room while she stayed with Leonard

"Sheldon lets just leave them there, we can clear up tomorrow" slurred Amy as she led Sheldon up the stairs and as she locked the bedroom door, Sheldon pounced on her and pressed her up against the door, kissing her passionately, parting her mouth with his tongue and lifting her up against him so she could feel his obvious erection.

Sheldon carried Amy to the bed and took his clothes off and helped Amy out of her dress and lay down on top of her sucking at her breasts and erect nipples, while Amy writhed beneath him, Sheldon then moved up and down her body kissing every part of her, then back to Amy's lips, they kissed for a long time with Sheldon exploring every part of Amy and Amy stroking his erection and flicking the tip of it, which every time she did that made Sheldon want to come there and then.

Seeking permission from Amy that it was ok to enter her, she nodded and wrapped her legs around his back and pushed him further inside her, they were still very drunk but also very horny for each other, Amy was gasping with every thrust Sheldon was making and tweaking his nipples which made Sheldon liked and made him thrust harder into her, Amy could feel that she was about to orgasm and shouted out in joy and Sheldon carried on thrusting as he was close to coming as well.

Usually after love making they would lay in each others arms cuddling but because they were drunk, they both fell asleep and didn't wake until very nearly midday and that was only because of a banging on the bedroom door

Amy put her dressing gown on and opened the door to find Bernadette outside

"Oh hi Bernie, what's up? Asked Amy

"Raj is cooking breakfast if you want some?"

"Oh ok, let me and Sheldon just get showered and dressed and we will be down" said Amy

Sheldon was still laying in bed holding his head and groaning

"Amy how much did I have to drink last night, I feel awful" said Sheldon

"Probably the same amount as me!" said Amy

"Come on let's get showered and go down for breakfast it might help us feel better" said Amy

15 minutes later, feeling slightly better they went downstairs and found that Leonard and Penny had also turned up and Amy's mother had also dropped Daisy back and was at the table"

"Oh thank you for looking after her mother" said Amy as she sat down at the table and had a long drink of water

"Raj do you want any help? Asked Sheldon

"No I have everything covered, you both look awful by the way" said Raj

"Well that's what drinking too much does for you" said Amy

"I won't be doing that again for a long time" said Sheldon as Raj brought over all the food

Amy looked around the room and noticed something, getting up she walked around the house, having expected it to be a mess after the party

"How is it so tidy in here and everywhere? Asked Amy

"Oh I got here at 9am and tidied up for you" said Bernadette

"Thank you but you didn't need to do that" said Amy

"Its ok, this pregnancy is making me restless and I feel I need to do things" said Bernie rubbing her swollen belly which looked even bigger on her because of her small size

"Can you feel her moving yet? Asked Penny

"Sometimes, not very often though, I only have 3 months to go now and I will be a mummy" said Bernie excitedly

"You will be perfect" said Howard leaning over to kiss Bernie who recoiled at the smell of him"

"You can do that later when you have showered Howie"

Much later after breakfast and after everybody had left, Sheldon and Amy took Daisy out to the local dog park, mainly to get some air and then returned home to finish organising where they wanted things to go.

_**6 weeks later - Mid July**_

Amy woke up early feeling very strange, she had been feeling ill for a couple of days and felt she was coming down with a cold but was also throwing up and when she mentioned it to Bernadette on girls night, Bernadette sat their smirking at her

"Why are you looking at me like that" asked Amy

"Because I don't think you have a cold Amy, you might wanna take a pregnancy test" replied Bernadette

"That's ridiculous, Sheldon and I always use protection and we don't plan to have children just yet" said Amy protesting but stopping when she realised she had missed her monthly cycle

"Look just take one to rule it in or out" said Penny noticing

"I need to talk to Sheldon first" said Amy as she went down the hall to the room where he was with the boys, "Sheldon come with me a moment please" said Amy, he could see she was looking pale and upset so followed her upstairs to their bedroom where she was pacing the room

"What's the matter Amy?"

"I think I am pregnant" blurted Amy as Sheldon looked at her in surprise

"If you are pregnant then that's a good thing surely? Asked Sheldon

"Of course but I thought we agreed to wait a while" replied Amy

"The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned and we don't have to worry about going on long work trips so it fits in well now"

"But when would this of happened, we are always careful" said Amy

"If I was to guess then probably the night we moved in, I don't think we used anything and we were pretty drunk" said Sheldon walking over to Amy who was still pacing the room and holding her

"So are you sure you are ready for this? Asked Amy

"Yes very" said Sheldon as somebody knocked on their door so he opened it to find Penny there

"Sorry guys I just went to the chemist on the corner and bought you two pregnancy tests Amy" said Penny handing it over

"Thank you Penny, let me just go and take it now, will you both wait here? Asked Amy looking to them both and receiving nods back

"Sheldon it will be ok you know, you are more than ready to be a dad" said Penny

Several minutes later Amy returned from the en-suite looking even more paler

"I can't look at it, Penny tell me what it says" said Amy

Penny went to the room and returned with the stick in her hand wrapped in tissue and trying not to give away what it was

"So are you both sure you want to know? Asked Penny

"Yes" said Sheldon and Amy together

_**Just thought I would throw in a little cliff hanger**_

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	42. Chapter 42

Sheldon and Amy were waiting for Penny to tell them if Amy was pregnant

"You are pregnant Amy! Congratulations, both of them are positive" said Penny hugging Amy who was standing motionless in shock

"Amy this a good thing" said Sheldon cuddling her to him and kissing her forehead

"I know I am happy but surprised, I just wasn't expecting this so soon" said Amy

"Come on lets go tell everybody, that's if you want to" said Penny

"Yes I think so, it might be early but they all deserve to know" said Amy taking Sheldon's hand and leading him downstairs and Penny called everybody to the living room, the boys had no idea of why Sheldon had been dragged away

"Amy and I would like to announce that we are having a baby, we are only 6 weeks into the pregnancy and we still have to have it confirmed by the doctor but we wanted you all to be the first to know" said Sheldon

"Congratulations" said Leonard shaking Sheldon's hand hugging Amy, the rest of their friends did the same

"What do you want to have" asked Penny to Amy

"I don't really mind, but I do have a name that I would like if it's a girl but the only person I will tell that to at the moment is Sheldon and that's because I don't want to jinx it" said Amy

"Amy our babies are going to grow up together, they will only be a few months apart" said Bernadette

"Oh that's right, by the time I have mine if I am 6 weeks then your baby will be about 6 months old or just over" said Amy

"Amy we will make an appointment ton confirm everything at the doctors tomorrow" said Sheldon

The group then left and Penny went back to Leonard's apartment

"Now I want a baby" said Penny suddenly causing Leonard to look at her in surprise

"Really? You think we are ready? Asked Leonard

"I didn't mean right now, maybe in the next couple of years we will be" said Penny

"Our babies will be smart and beautiful!" said Leonard hugging her

The next day after Amy had spent the first part of the morning throwing up, Amy and Sheldon went to the doctors after making an appointment and were quickly called in, it was a new lady doctor that Amy hadn't seen before

"Hello I am Dr Barker, how can I help you today"

"Well I took two pregnancy tests last night and they were both positive, so I just wanted to confirm with you" said Amy

"If you took two tests and they are both positive then I would say that you are pregnant, would you like me to check you over?" asked Dr Barker

"Yes please" said Amy as the Doctor took her blood pressure and asked after Amy's general health and how long it was since her last cycle

"I would say that you are 6 weeks pregnant and you are healthy but I will arrange for you to have a sonogram at 12 weeks or sooner if you would prefer, there isn't much to see until then" said Dr Barker

"A sonogram at 12 weeks is fine" said Amy

"I will book you in then" said Dr Barker typing up something on her pc and printing out a letter with an appointment on it

Sheldon and Amy returned home

"You know Sheldon this means our baby will be born in March, just think we are going to have a little baby" said Amy

"I know I am excited too, I hope Daisy will be ok with the new baby though" said Sheldon

"Why wouldn't she be? Asked Amy curiously

"She's had all our attention since we got her and she might get jealous"

"She has never shown jealousy to anybody before so I don't think she will now and Bernadette will have her baby soon and we will see how she is then but I don't think we have a problem Sheldon"

"Ok I will go with your judgment on this one" said Sheldon

"I don't think I'm going to go to work today, am feeling very queasy like I could throw up at any moment" said Amy

"Do you want me to do anything?" asked Sheldon

"No I will just go and have a lie down" said Amy

"Right well I am going to stay home and take care of you anyway, if you need anything I will be at my desk" said Sheldon kissing her as they walked up the stairs together followed by Daisy who went into the bedroom with Amy as Sheldon started to go into the office

"Actually rather than me sleeping and you working, come in here with me and talk to me" said Amy

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Sheldon sitting on the bed with her and leaning back against the headboard

"Lets talk about baby names, have you got any preferences?" asked Amy

"Well I do like Mason and Gabriel for boys and Natalie and Brooke for girls, what about you?" asked Sheldon

"Oh I like them as well, I was thinking of Marie for a girl, that would be my first choice and Luke or Daniel for a boy"

"I take it Marie is after Madame Curie? Asked Sheldon

"Yes of course, when it comes to finding out the sex would you rather know before or wait until the birth, I don't mind whichever way"

"Well usually I don't like surprises but this will be a nice one, so lets wait" said Sheldon

"Agreed" smiled Amy at Sheldon and then leaning against him and kissing him

"Are you feeling any better now? Asked Sheldon

"Much better and you know what will take away the sickness?" asked Amy teasing Sheldon by reaching into his trousers and playing with his growing erection

"Do tell me Mrs Cooper" said Sheldon bringing Amy down on top of him and kissing her again

"Just kissing you makes me feel better but we can do more than just kissing" said Amy grinding against him, when suddenly the sound of the doorbell came which made Daisy bark and go rushing down the stairs

"Oh we can't catch a break can we" said Sheldon

"I will go, you sort yourself out" said Amy indicating his erection

Amy after putting Daisy in Sheldon's game room, went to the door to find two delivery guys outside

"Hi there, we have your dining table and chairs that you ordered"

"Oh yes, thank you bring them through" said Amy as Sheldon appeared next to her

_**6 weeks later**_

The group were hanging out at Bernadette and Howard's apartment, it was only two days until Bernadette was due to give birth and she had to give up work at 7 months due to her huge size and swollen feet, she had managed to get to 8 and a half months and the doctors had decided to give her a caesarean because they thought the baby would be too big for Bernadette to give birth naturally, she also had high blood pressure and was exhausted, Howard was doing everything he could for her, the day Bernadette was booked in for the caesarean was also the day that Amy was going for her first sonogram, she had the beginnings of a little baby bump and the sickness had stopped, she hadn't had any cravings yet

"Bernie we will come and see you afterwards if we are allowed" said Amy

"That will be nice" said Bernie tiredly

"I think we will leave you in peace" said Amy as the group started to leave

"The next time we will see you, you will have baby Rose! Said Raj who was excited about his god-daugher

Leonard and Penny drove back to 4a and on the way noticed a for sale sign on the house next door to Sheldon and Amy's, the house was almost an exact replica, so taking down the number, Penny called the realtor to arrange a viewing for the following day and then told Sheldon and Amy about it who offered to join them on the viewing

"Leonard I think we are ready to move in together and buying a house will cement our relationship" said Penny

"Yes I agree, everything is going so well with giving each other space and we can still do that in the house living together if we need to" replied Leonard

The next day the Realtor showed Leonard and Penny round the house and they liked it, it was set out inside just like Sheldon and Amy's and it also had a indoor pool, they made a bid which was accepted, they would have to wait 8 weeks for the owners to leave but in the meantime, Penny moved all her things into 4a and gave up the lease on 4b. Amy was especially excited to have her bestie living next door to them

The following day Amy and Sheldon went for the sonogram, Amy had been shown into the room by a nurse who had disappeared, she was on the bed waiting when the doctor appeared and greeted them

"Hi I am Dr Taylor, is this your first baby?

"Yes" replied Amy

"Ok, let me just get some gel and move the pointer over your belly" said the Doctor as she switched on the ultrasound machine, a few seconds later the sound of a heartbeat could be heard

"Sheldon can you hear that, that's our baby" said Amy happily

"I know" smiled Sheldon

"Now everything looks fine, you are 12 weeks pregnant, its likely that you will be due very early March" said Dr Taylor looking closely at the screen adding "I cant tell you what sex the baby is yet, its lying in the wrong position and also it is a bit early, its likely that at your next sonogram you could find out"

"Oh its ok, we agreed to wait until the baby comes" said Amy

"Ok, I will book you in again for another one at 20 weeks, have you had any problems so far?

"Only morning sickness but that has gone now" replied Amy

"Ok any problems, give me a call" said Dr Taylor handing her a business card

Amy and Sheldon left the room and turned their phones back on which beeped with a message shortly afterwards

"Oh Bernie's had the baby and they are in the maternity ward, lets go see them, we are allowed" said Amy

They went up in the lift to the maternity ward and were buzzed into the ward and were shown to Bernadette's private room, Bernadette was sleeping but Howard was there holding baby Rose as was Leonard and Penny who had just arrived

"Everybody I would like you to meet Rose" said Howard

"Oh she's beautiful, is she ok for being 2 weeks premature? Asked Amy

"Yes she also weighed 8 pounds which surprised the doctors" said Howard handing her the baby

"Oh thank you" said Amy gazing down at Rose

"How did your scan go" asked Penny

"Yes very well, the baby is fine and by March little baby Cooper will be here" said Sheldon

"Have you got any names yet? Asked Leonard

"Yes but we haven't really decided definitely yet" said Amy handing Rose to Penny who was getting broodier every day now that Amy was pregnant

After half an hour in the room, Bernadette still hadn't woken up and the little group left them to it, promising to visit again the next day

_**8 weeks later**_

Leonard and Penny with help from their friends had moved into their new house and were settling in well, the 2 months they had spent living together at 4a helped them a lot with their relationship, using Sheldon's old room for Penny to go and relax in if she needed space which wasn't often, her store was doing incredibly well and she and Raj had been talking about going for viewings if any stores became available, the demand they had for Men's clothing was high and they had felt it would be too good to ignore.

Amy went for her 20 week sonogram and she and Sheldon had decided they would find out the sex if possible

They saw the same Doctor again and she confirmed with approval from Sheldon and Amy that they would be having a girl which they were both happy about, in truth they didn't mind what they had

Once they were back home, Sheldon told Amy that he liked her choice of name for the baby which was Marie and then he rang his mother to tell her also, she was already very happy to be a first time grandmother and made Sheldon promise to come and visit

"But mom, why don't you all come here, Amy's pregnant and I don't want her to be tired from travelling, we have plenty of space in our new house and we want you all to see it"

"Ok I will book us all some flights and let you know Shelley" said Mary

Amy had also started working at Caltech the previous month and she had persuaded some of the addiction study team to come with her, her assistant Grace would be taking over temporarily in her place once she took maternity leave, she was planning to work for as long as possible and Caltech were giving her 6 months maternity leave, though she had decided that she would hire a nanny and work part time at Caltech, which Sheldon had approved of.

The same day Sheldon and Amy found out the sex of the baby they invited their friends over to tell them their news

"We would just like to tell you all that we are having a girl and we will be calling her Marie Cooper" said Amy happily

"Oh that's so pretty" said Bernadette her own baby was asleep in her carrycot on the floor, Daisy was laying next to her looking over at her protectively as she had done whenever they came over, which gave Sheldon hope that she would be ok with their own baby, even though Amy never had any worries about it

_**Am going to end the chapter there, **_

_**Spoiler Alert!**_

_**Have got some interesting things for the next chapter which the Lenny fans will especially like **_

_**Cheers for reading**_


	43. Chapter 43

_**As promised this chapter is full of Lenny goodness**_

It was the end of October and Amy was now 22 weeks pregnant, it also happened to be 230am in the morning that she found herself in the kitchen making a fried egg sandwich, she was hoping that she was being quiet but the smell woke Sheldon up who appeared in the kitchen looking sleepy

"What are you doing? Asked Sheldon

"Making a sandwich of course" said Amy adding mustard to the bread

"At this time?" asked Sheldon again

"Yes, I had a sudden craving for fried eggs in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep, the baby is laying in a funny position" replied Amy rubbing her belly

"Look sit down and I will finish it off for you" said Sheldon

"No you go back to bed, I will be fine" protested Amy

"Nonsense, it's my job to look after you and I am going to right now, do you want tea with that?" asked Sheldon

"Oh yes please, also seeing as we are up, are we going to get Marie christened?"

"I would say yes if only to make my mother happy, who by the way will be here in two weeks along with Meemaw, Missy and George, we have plenty of space for them and I think George will spend a lot of time with Leonard, he got on well with him at our wedding"

"Ok, talking of Leonard and Penny I would like them to be godparents, if you agree" asked Amy

"Of course, there isn't anyone any better than our joint best friends being godparents to our daughter, also I would like Missy and George but maybe they can be the next ones"

"If we ask them over and tell them then tomorrow? Asked Amy as Sheldon passed her tea and fried egg sandwich which she ate very quickly leaving a small crust for Daisy who was sitting next to her watching

"Sure why not, I take it that was nice?" asked Sheldon taking the plate to the sink and soaking it along with the frying pan

"Delicious! I think I am ready for bed again now" said Amy getting up and taking Sheldon's hand and leading him back up o the bedroom and back into bed

"It's a good job it's the weekend and no work tomorrow Amy, I don't know if I will be able to sleep now" moaned Sheldon

"Who said anything about sleeping" said Amy cuddling up to Sheldon and kissing him "We can just fool around for a while, I am not that tired"

"You are a little minx" said Sheldon kissing her back and cuddling her close to him

In the morning Sheldon woke early as Dr Who was on BBC America and then afterwards as Amy was still in bed, took Daisy out for a walk and bumped into Leonard on the way back, he noticed Leonard looked preoccupied

"Hey Leonard are you ok?

"Yes I am fine, actually Sheldon I could do with some advice, I have my car keys, come for a drive with me and I can talk to you, bring Daisy if you like" said Leonard

"Sure why not" said Sheldon putting Daisy in the back of the car and getting in the front "So what sort of advice do you need"

"Its about Penny, I want to ask he to marry me but I don't want a long planning process, I like how you did it with Amy but I don't think Penny would appreciate the spontaneousness of it all" said Leonard as he drove away

"Ok, well all you can do is ask her and see how she feels about a quick wedding, have you got a ring yet? Asked Sheldon

"Yes, I have it on me right now, do you want to see it? Asked Leonard parking the car a few streets away

"Sure why not" said Sheldon

Leonard opened the small box and showed Sheldon the ring, it was a Tiffany Soleste Band Ring with Pink Diamonds framed by two rows of white diamonds, Sheldon looked impressed

"I like it and I think its very Penny, when are you going to ask her? "How did you find such a ring?

"I think today, we are both ready and I love her very much, perhaps afterwards I will have everybody over to celebrate, I asked Natasha for advice and she offered to come with me to pick it out"

"Ok, Amy and I would like you and Penny to be Marie's godparents, if you would accept?

"Sheldon of course I will accept, you are my best friend and as we are asking each other stuff, will you be my best man?"

"Of course, I would never say no to that" smiled Sheldon

Leonard was satisfied that his plans were in place and he drove back to Los Robles and asked Sheldon not to say anything about his plans

Sheldon went back into his own house with Daisy to find Amy in the kitchen

"Where did you go with Leonard? I saw from the bedroom window you both getting in the car and driving off" asked Amy

"Oh he just wanted some advice" said Sheldon taking Daisy's harness off and putting it away

"About what? Asked Amy she realised Sheldon was avoiding answering though

"Amy I can't say but you will find out soon enough" said Sheldon

"Ok, do you want some breakfast? I am very hungry again, I don't think that sandwich really touched the sides" said Amy looking in the fridge and finding some bacon

"Yes, I haven't eaten yet" said Sheldon

Meanwhile next door Leonard was thinking about how he was going to ask Penny to marry him, he was pacing the living room floor when Penny appeared in her dressing gown

"Morning Leonard, you were up early?" said Penny

"Yes, I couldn't sleep so I went for a drive"

"Oh is something bothering you, is it work?

"No its nothing like that" Leonard decided he would ask Penny now "Look come and sit down a moment I would like to talk to you" said Leonard leading her towards the brown sofa

"Leonard what's wrong, you are shaking and you look pale" said Penny reaching for his forehead and stopping when she realised Leonard wasn't sitting down but leaning on one knee in front of her, she gasped and put her hands over her mouth in surprise

"Penny being with you is all that I have ever wanted and we may have hit a few bumps along the way, but I realise I don't want to be without you and I love you very much indeed, will you marry me? Asked Leonard showing her the ring

Penny squealed in delight and kissed him

"Yes, Yes and Yes again and I love you too" said Penny hugging him, Leonard slid the ring onto her finger and thanks to Natasha having got Penny's ring size the ring was a perfect fit

"Thank you Penny, I was wondering if you would like a quick wedding though, I liked how Sheldon did his but I wasn't sure if you would liked to be surprised like that, so I have provisionally booked us to get married at the Langham Hall Hotel in three weeks time" said Leonard looking anxiously for Penny's reaction

"Oh, yes why not! We are going to be married in three weeks! Squealed Penny again

"The only big thing we will have to do is get you a wedding dress, would you get one from your store?

"Yes probably and I think I know just the one, what are you going to wear?

"The morning suit I wore for Sheldon and Amy's wedding, we won't have to worry about catering because the hotel will provide everything"

"What about a registrar?

"All taken care of, we only have to write our vows and invite our families, also I think Sheldon's family will be here at the same time, so we could ask them as well"

"Sure, now you know what would be good right now? Asked Penny

"What's that? Asked Leonard

"Celebration sex!" said Penny leading Leonard upstairs

Sometime later after they had showered and dressed, Leonard sent a text to everybody asking them to come over for the evening, he was waiting for Alex to finish at the store so she could join in and he had ordered Chinese food, Penny had gone to get several bottles of Champagne, the group soon arrived and Bernadette had left baby Rose with her parents for the evening, but once everybody was seated, Leonard and Penny announced their news

"Everybody I am glad you are here, Penny and I would like to announce that we are engaged to be married and we will be getting married in three weeks time and you are all invited" said Leonard looking to everybody who apart from Sheldon and Natasha looked completed surprised by the news

"Congratulations to you both" said Amy hugging them both "Is that why you didn't want to say anything this morning Sheldon" asked Amy looking to Sheldon

"Yes, Leonard asked me not to say anything"

"Penny I just noticed the ring, its beautiful" said Amy

"Thank you, we have made some decisions also on who we want to be involved in the wedding and I would like Amy as my matron of honour and Bernie, Natasha and Alex as my bridesmaids" said Penny smiling at her friends

"Yes and I have already asked Sheldon to be my best man, but Howard and Raj I would like you to be my groomsmen"

Everybody agreed and Raj also had a request which surprised Penny

"Penny do you mind if I bring Kelly?"

"Kelly, who is the manager of the Penny Blossom workshop? Yes why not"

"Thank you, I wanted you to know that we have been dating for a few weeks now and its going well" said Raj

"Good I am happy for you, at least you are no longer lonely! Said Penny

"She is a very fun girl and she is great to be with"

"Oh I know, she worked at the cheesecake factory way before me and she was the only one I could really be friends with there"

"Are you going to invite all your store and factory staff to the wedding? Asked Raj

"Yes probably, they will have short notice though so I hope everybody can come" replied Penny

"Raj I would like to do a fun with flags pod cast and I want you to show and talk about the flag of New Delhi" said Sheldon

"Oh sure, when would you like to do it? Asked Raj

"Not sure yet, I will let you know" replied Sheldon

The group had a great time celebrating the engagement and Amy realised she would have to get a maternity dress but Penny said she would find something in her store for her and get it adjusted

Two weeks later, Sheldon arrived back at the house after going to LAX to pick up Mary, Meemaw, George and Missy, they were originally staying with them for a week but upon hearing of the upcoming wedding and being invited had decided to extend their stay

"So Shelley tell me about this lovely house, you said there was an annexe?"

"Yes I am going to put Missy and George in there and you and Meemaw can have the spare bedrooms, I will take you all on a tour later though" said Sheldon helping with the bags, Amy took Missy and George to the Annexe to let them drop their bags off and they returned to the house where Penny was waiting along with Leonard and the rest of their friends, including Alex and Natasha who had never met Sheldon's family

"Penny let me see this gorgeous ring of your sugar" said Missy, she had been texting with Penny since she had heard about the engagement and was excited for her, Penny extended her hand to her and Missy whistled at the sight of it

"Wow sugar, that's a mighty fine ring!, How's the plans going? You have not got long left now"

"Thank you, everything is sorted and I shall be collecting my dress the day before the wedding at the same time as Amy collects her"

Mary sat down on the sofa with Penny, the girls had stayed in the living room while all the boys went off to the game room, Sheldon was in the kitchen making his mother and Meemaw some tea, Meemaw was questioning him on how he was going to handle the birth

"Meemaw it will be fine, Amy and I have been watching programs to get ourselves ready for the actual birth, it looks gross but you get something so beautiful out of it" said Sheldon

"I am also glad you are pleasing your mother with getting the baby Christened Sheldon" Meemaw looked proudly at her favourite grandson

"Well I like to do the right thing"

"How's Amy getting on though? I noticed she's getting quite big now"

"Amy is great, pregnancy seems to suit her, she hasn't had a lot of problems apart from middle of the night cravings for fried egg sandwiches"

"Interesting" said Meemaw looking thoughtful

"Whys that? Asked Sheldon

"Because that's the same craving I had when I was pregnant with your mother" replied Meemaw as Amy appeared in the kitchen looking for Sheldon

Sheldon finished making the tea and walked with his Meemaw and Amy back to the living room and went off to the game room with the boys

Penny had a text shortly after everybody arrived, her parents minus her brother were flying in from Nebraska and had hired a car from LAX, they were only a few minutes away, they were also staying with Leonard and Penny for two weeks, Penny and Natasha went outside to wait for them and to help take their luggage into the house

Leonard's mother was the only person who was coming to the wedding from his side of the family but he wasn't that bothered, he hadn't seen his brother, sister and father for so long that he felt they did not deserve to come, his mother had insisted on staying at the hotel they would be getting married at though

Penny's parents arrived and after much hugs from the two sisters to their parents, they showed them into the house and to their room and took them next door to where everybody was

"Penny have you and Leonard wrote your vows yet? Asked Amy and Penny's mother at the same time

"Sort of I am working on them at the moment, I think Leonard is also doing the same thing, did you tell Sheldon yours before the wedding?

"No and surprisingly it wasn't that hard to do, the words just flowed you know" said Amy

"You know Penny I always told you Leonard would be great for you" said Wyatt hugging his daughter

"I know daddy, it just took me a long time to see it" said Penny

"Where is he anyway? Asked Wyatt noticing he was the only guy in the living room

"He is down the hall in the game room" said Penny taking him

"So Amy how far along are you now? Asked Penny's mother Hannah

"5 and a half months, the baby is due at the beginning of March" said Amy

"How old is your baby?" asked Hannah to Bernadette who was bottle feeding Rose

"Oh she's three months old now" replied Bernadette "Would you like to hold her?"

"Yes please, it will give me practice for when one of my children eventually has one" said Hannah looking at Natasha who smirked

"You wont be getting one from me mum, not for a long time, I have a fantastic job and I don't want to give that up" said Natasha

"Well your brother certainly isn't going to get anybody pregnant the way he's going, he just uses women and discards them like trash" said Hannah as Penny walked back in the room

"Maybe Penny will be the first one then" said Natasha

"First one what? Asked Penny confused

"Mum was asking about grandchildren" said Natasha

"Oh, maybe in the next year or so perhaps" replied Penny smiling at her sister and mother

"What's dad doing? Asked Natasha

"He is playing Halo with the boys"

After Mary and Meemaw had returned from unpacking their things, Amy ordered several Pizza's for everybody, Amy had managed to get the boys out of the game room and join the rest of the friends, her mother had also been invited and was sat in a corner chatting with Mary and Meemaw, she had been talking to them a lot over the phone ever since she had met them the previous year.

"So Penny how's the acting going? Have you had any jobs since the end of your web series" asked Hannah

"No but I haven't been looking, I have been spending a lot of time designing clothes and working at the store when I can, I might put myself out there again soon but I am happy for now, the web series was brilliant to do and maybe in the future I can do something similar again but not for now"

The little party carried on for some time until Amy fell asleep on the sofa and Penny took her parents and Natasha back next door, the rest of the group also left, Sheldon went and got a blanket and covered Amy with it and deciding not to leave her on her own, sat in the armchair to sleep.

_**Next chapter up soon, I have a bit of stuff to think about for the wedding and vows then there might be another chapter up after that, then nothing for two weeks as I will be going on holiday**_

_**Which is why there have been a lot of updates in the past few days!**_

_**I hope that everybody is enjoying the story**_


	44. Chapter 44

The day after the get together was Sunday and Howard and Bernadette had offered to let Amy and Sheldon look after Rose for the day to get in some practice for when their own baby came, Howard said they would be back at 7pm so they would have plenty of time with her

Sheldon was watching Amy with Rose, she was just sitting holding her but he knew that she was going to be a perfect mom, his own mother and meemaw were getting ready to go to church and were trying to persuade Sheldon to go

"Come on Shelley, you haven't been this year have you yet? Asked Mary

"No but I want to be here with Amy in case she needs any help" said Sheldon

"You know we have a deal and I don't like deals being broken" said Mary

"Look why don't you all come here for Christmas and I will promise you that I will go to midnight mass with you, I think Amy will come wont you?"

"Sure why not, that is if I can move by then, I will be seven months pregnant and I'm already feeling tired at 5 and a half months" replied Amy

"Oh Amy darlin you will be fine, I carried two and still went to church, but Shelley thank you for the invite, we will take you up on that" said Mary leaving the house with Meemaw to go to the church round the corner

Penny walked in just as Mary was leaving and was surprised to see Amy with Rose, she hadn't heard of the plan

"Amy what are you doing with Rose?

"Getting some practice in, but she is so good I haven't had to do anything yet" replied Amy "Though could you take her a second, I need to visit the bathroom" said Amy handing Rose to her

"So Sheldon have you written a best man speech" asked Penny to Sheldon

"No, I hadn't even thought about it, I guess I will have to now though, don't worry there wont be any embarrassing stories" said Sheldon

"Or crude jokes either thank you" said Penny as Amy reappeared and took Rose back off her and put her in the carrycot that had been left

"Sheldon I've been thinking we need to start thinking about decorating one of the bedrooms for the nursery soon and we haven't even bought anything" said Amy

"Ok, well once my family have gone, we can sort it out, we have plenty of time" replied Sheldon

"I guess" said Amy

"Amy by the way you will need to come for another fitting for your dress tomorrow, it should be ok but in the two weeks since you tried the dress you may have grown a little"

"That's fine, what time do you want me? I am starting up a new addiction study tomorrow but I can leave my assistant in charge, it will give her practice for when I go on maternity leave"

"I can pick you up at 5 from Caltech if you like, we have to go to the seamstress company as they have the dresses"

"Ok see you then" said Amy

"I have to go back now, Leonard is cooking breakfast, to be honest I think he is just showing off because my dad loves him so much but then again so do I" said Penny looking happy

Amy and Sheldon's day with Rose went fine and apart from her crying for a little while and having to change some nappies, Rose was perfect, Bernadette came to collect her at 7pm and she looked like she had clearly missed her baby

"I hope our baby is like that Sheldon"

"So do I"

The next day Penny and Amy arrived at the seamstress company and were shown to a fitting area, the seamstress lady that was dealing with Penny's order was called Margaret and she was finishing off another customer but soon she had called Amy over and having measured her found that she hadn't grown that much but the dress was a little tight

"Your getting married on Saturday is that correct Penny?

"Yes"

"Ok, I think we may need to do some more adjusting on Friday, just for Amy's dress, your dress should fit fine though" said Margaret

"What time would you like us Friday?

"Come first thing in the morning if you can, then I can make any changes there and then and you can take the dresses with you"

"Thank you" said Penny

Penny and Leonard had spent a few evenings that week going back and forth to the hotel to make sure the preparations were ok and to check out the honeymoon suite that they would be staying in for Saturday night, the dresses were all ready and the wedding was set for 3pm Saturday afternoon, Penny was beyond excited to be marrying Leonard

The day before the wedding it had been decided that as tradition made the bride and groom stay away from each other the night before the wedding, that all the guys would be staying at Leonard and Penny's house and all the girls at Sheldon and Amy's and they would be having small hen and stag parties, it would make things easier for everybody to get ready in the morning. Beverley had not joined in with the celebrations but she had met Leonard and Penny for lunch and had gone back to the hotel afterwards

The next morning was a hive of activity, Penny had a hair and make up lady come to the house to fix her up, Amy also came to Penny with something for her

"Penny I would you like to have this as your "something old" " said Amy handing her a velvet pouch

"Amy I can't take this it's your tiara and very expensive" said Penny in surprise

"I insist, it made me feel very special on my own wedding day and I want you to feel just the same"

"Are you sure? How will Sheldon feel about it?

"I already told him I was planning to do it and he agreed with me" said Amy

"Thank you, I will take it, come here" said Penny as she hugged Amy

"Have you chosen a song yet to walk into the room with? Asked Bernadette who hadn't brought Rose to the wedding, she had left her with her parents and would be picking her up in the morning

"Yes and it's a little out there but Leonard suggested "You're my best friend" by Queen, also it's a non religious ceremony"

"Oh that's nice" said Amy

"Yes and Leonard has booked a stretch limousine for us all, it will fit the bridesmaids, my dad and myself in"

Much later at the hotel Leonard was in his room getting ready, Sheldon was with him and George was waiting for the bridesmaid party to arrive, Amy was going to text him when they left so he could get everybody in place

Penny arrived at the hotel and was shown to a little room beside the function room where the wedding was being held, she was waiting for the last few guests to arrive when George appeared and said they were ready, the music started and Penny walked into the room on the arm of her dad, with her bridesmaids and maid of honour behind her

Leonard greeted Penny with a kiss and they turned to the registrar who went through the formalities and then asked both to say the vows they had prepared

"Penny if you would like to go first"

"Today I will marry my friend, the one I will live with, dream with and love. I take you to be my husband. From this day forward I will cherish you, I will look with joy down the path of our tomorrow's knowing we will walk it together side by side, hand in hand and heart to heart"

Penny's voice was cracking by the end of it and she knew how lucky she was that Leonard had forgiven her and still wanted her

"Leonard you turn"

"Today, a day of music and celebration, I pledge to share my life with you. Whether the days that come are happy or sad, I will live them with you. I will love you and I give myself to you as your husband"

The registrar went through more formalities then asked who had the rings, Sheldon passed the rings over which were white gold and Leonard and Penny exchanged rings

"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife, you may kiss the bride" said the registrar

Leonard turned to Penny and kissed her for a long time before turning to their friends and family who were beaming with joy for them, they walked back out towards the room and outside to the gardens of the hotel where a photo session had been set up, after the pictures were done, everybody had the opportunity to throw confetti over the happy couple and Leonard and Penny went into the little side room and waited for everybody to be seated at their tables in the ballroom

"You know I can't believe we are married, just think in a year or so we could have a baby Hofstadter" said Penny excitedly she didn't want to wait to have a baby, she had seen Bernadette cope incredibly well and Amy was blooming in her pregnancy

"Well believe it, because we have the wedding video to prove it and I think we can start making babies soon if you feel you are ready, I know I am" said Leonard

Sheldon then appeared and apologised for interrupting

"Everybody is ready now if you want to come through" said Sheldon

"Sure just give us a moment" said Penny

Sheldon went back into the ballroom and waited by the door with the microphone when he saw Leonard and Penny coming

"Everybody please by upstanding for the bride and groom" said Sheldon to the room

Leonard and Penny appeared in the room and went to the top table which had Penny's family, Leonard's mother and all the wedding party. After the speeches were made and dinner was served, Penny and Leonard were called to the dance floor and had their first dance as a married couple, they were dancing to "What a wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

Around midnight, the wedding party came to and end and as Penny and Leonard left the ballroom she turned around and threw her bouquet backwards and it was caught by Missy who laughed and gave it to Natasha

Leonard and Penny arrived in their honeymoon suite, there were Rose Petals on the bed and champagne in an ice bucket, Leonard opened the champagne and poured some out for his wife and they went and sat on the balcony overlooking the gardens

"Penny, I am so glad you agreed to marry me and I love you very much" said Leonard

"Well I love you too, nobody has made me feel the way you make me feel Leonard and I regret hurting you" said Penny

"Look lets forget about that, we are in a great place right now and we need to look to the future not the past" replied Leonard

"You are probably right, by the way my father has asked us if we would like to go to Nebraska for a honeymoon holiday, I said I would talk to you first, also Natasha is due some holiday and I think it would be nice for you to meet the rest of my family back there"

"Sure Nebraska sounds fine, but if Natasha is coming who will manage the store?

"Alex will take a weeks holiday from working at Caltech and work at the store for the week and Kelly will work at the weekend as store manager, she has worked there a few times when we have been understaffed and she has manager experience from the Penny Blossom factory, so I trust her and I think we could go the week after next if that's ok with you"

"Sure, come on lets go to bed and consumate our marriage" said Leonard taking Penny's hand and leading her to the bedroom

Much later, they were both extremely satisfied and happy and went to sleep in each others arms

_**The next day**_

Everybody had returned home by lunchtime and Amy who was feeling exhausted from the previous days events, went straight to bed, Sheldon made sure she was comfortable and brought her tea and toast, then went back downstairs to his family

"Is Amy ok Shelley?" asked his mother

"Not really, she just overdid it a bit yesterday, especially on the dance floor, its probably best she has a rest" said Sheldon

"Ok you know we are going home tomorrow don't you" asked his mother

"Yes, did you want any help packing?

"No that's ok, when would you like us to come for Christmas?

"It depends how long you want to stay for" replied Sheldon

"I will let you know" said Mary

Sometime later Sheldon went back up to his bedroom to check on Amy, he found that she was asleep and Daisy who was never usually allowed on the bed was curled up next to her, deciding not to disturb either of them, he went back downstairs and offered to play video games with George who was looking bored

Amy reappeared later in the afternoon, just as Mary was serving up dinner

"Amy darlin, you look much better" said Mary

"Thanks I feel it, I must of overdone it yesterday and the baby was dancing with me it seems!" replied Amy as Sheldon came into the dining room with George and greeted her with a kiss

"Amy are you ok now? Asked Sheldon

"Yes, I am just hungry now, I just needed to rest"

"Don't worry darlin, you are going to need a lot more rest days before the baby comes, so make the most of it and make sure Shelley looks after you" said Mary

"Mom I always look after her, that's my job as her husband and I have not let her down" said Sheldon

"Its true, he has been brilliant and he will be decorating the nursery as well soon" said Amy

"Good to know, now lets say grace and we can eat this lovely food"

The family had dinner and the next day they returned home to Texas, Amy went to work but was feeling tired again so left work early and went home to bed

The following weekend, after going to a baby care store, ordering a cot and all the necessary baby furniture as well as wall decorations, Sheldon decorated the nursery, they were only 3 months away from the birth now and they were both getting excited to meet baby Marie.

_**There may be another chapter up before I go away**_

_**Reviews are all appreciated**_


	45. Chapter 45

_**6 weeks later - Mid December**_

Penny and Leonard had returned from their honeymoon in Nebraska and as Penny's store would have been open for one year at the end of November, she had celebrated by having a 25% of everything sale for a whole week. She and Raj had also found another rental store further down on Rodeo Drive, it was similar to their own store and they had planned to open once the store had been kitted out and had their staff trained, they had a potential opening date for the beginning of February. Penny had also done a presenting role for HSN.

Sheldon's family were due to arrive in Pasadena three days before Christmas and were due to leave on January 2nd, he had invited Penny, Leonard and Natasha for Christmas dinner as Penny's parents were unable to fly back for Christmas. Amy was now 7 months pregnant and had a very large belly, she was also suffering from backache at night time which meant she wasn't sleeping much and was cranky a lot, because of that Amy had also agreed with President Siebert that after the Christmas holidays were over she would work three days a week only.

The day before Sheldon's family arrived Sheldon had a suggestion for Amy, they were in the living room snuggled together on the sofa, they were supposed to be watching a star wars/trek movie but Amy kept distracting Sheldon by kissing him, in the end Sheldon abandoned the film, he realised Amy wanted his attention and responded to her kisses, he loved Amy more than anything and loved pleasing her. He also had a suggestion

"Amy I am mindful for how tired you are at the moment and I know you probably don't want a big fuss on December 24th, but I have hired the café where we first met just for a little afternoon tea and cakes and our friends and family have been invited"

"Sheldon that's a lovely thing to do and it's very sweet, but how did you manage to hire the café?"

"Well they were planning to be closed on that day but I offered them a lot of money and told them it was our celebration and they agreed"

"Well I am sure that it will be a nice celebration, I hope its not going to be a formal wear thing because I am not sure that anything would fit me at the moment, other than a pair of comfy pyjamas"

"Interesting" said Sheldon

"What is? Asked Amy clearly confused

"A pyjama party and its not like anybody but our friends and family will see" said Sheldon

"How are you going to get everybody agree to that? Asked Amy

"I have my ways, leave it to me" said Sheldon getting up from the sofa and going to his laptop and sending some emails

"What are you doing?

"Everybody that has been invited is going to get an email asking them to come in nightwear" said Sheldon as he came back to the sofa

"It will be interesting if everybody agrees to do that and also very funny, imagine some of the outfits" said Amy

"I am doing this for you Amy, come on its getting late and I need to pick up my family at 10am tomorrow"

Amy started to get up and found that she couldn't, Sheldon had to help her up instead, then gave her a little cuddle

"I think Marie is having a little party in there" said Amy clutching her belly and wincing

"Does it hurt? Asked Sheldon

"No it's just uncomfortable" replied Amy sitting down again

Shortly afterwards, Amy and Sheldon went upstairs to their room, got changed and into bed, Sheldon was still aroused from their earlier kissing and Amy could see that and they were kissing and exploring each others bodies in bed for some time, before Amy moved on top of Sheldon and started grinding against him, she was mindful of her swollen belly getting in the way but she wanted Sheldon very much and soon she guided his arousal into her, he was thrusting gently into her and he had his hands around her waist to get support, Amy bent down to kiss Sheldon and gave his nipples little kisses, which made Sheldon shudder and thrust harder into her, he came shortly afterwards and then Amy guided his hand into her and let him find her clit and soon he was fascinated by Amy's face as she had her own orgasm

"Oh Amy you are beautiful and all mine" said Sheldon kissing her again, they cuddled against each other and fell asleep

The next day Sheldon's family arrived and on hearing of the pyjama party at the café were very enthusiastic about it, Amy and Sheldon had decided not to get each other presents for their anniversary or Christmas, they had each other and that's all they wanted

Penny took Amy to Beverley Hills, she knew a designer maternity store there and wanted to give Amy a designer pair of pyjamas for her party, they returned with a pair of pink and white check bottoms and a white top

Sheldon had arranged that everybody go to the café for 3pm, he and Amy would be the last to arrive and when they did arrive, they were greeted with cheers from their friends all of whom wear in some sort of nightwear, Sheldon had also provided for everybody to have a complimentary glass of champagne, Sheldon decided to make an announcement

"I would just like to say thank you to everybody for coming today, you have all been a big part of Amy and my life for the past few years and we wanted to celebrate our first anniversary with our close friends and family" Sheldon then turned to Amy and kissed her. "I also want to say to Amy, I love you very much and I can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives together" said Sheldon patting her belly, Amy smiled in delight at Sheldon and turned to her friends beaming

"To Sheldon and Amy" shouted Penny raising her glass to them

A while later, Amy after walking around and talking to her friends, sat back down at her table and Penny joined her

"You ok Ames? Penny could see she was exhausted

"Yes, I'm just very tired, Mary and Missy are cooking dinner tomorrow for which I am glad about, I still have so much time to go" said Amy wearily

"Yes but you are going to get something so beautiful out of it" replied Penny

"Sure, I think I will go back now, I need to rest" said Amy getting up with help from Penny

"Do you want me to walk you home? Asked Penny

"Sure, I told Sheldon earlier that I might leave early and I would appreciate the company"

They arrived back at the house a few minutes later and Amy went straight to bed, Penny after making sure she was ok, went back downstairs and waited until Sheldon returned home, she was sitting on the sofa watching telly with Daisy sprawled across her when Sheldon arrived back with everybody but George

"Hi Sheldon, Amy is in bed, she's ok just tired"

"Thank you for staying, I see you have made a friend there" said Sheldon pointing to the sleeping Daisy who hadn't stirred even when Sheldon walked in

"Yes, she's very heavy though! Laughed Penny

"Yes indeed, by the way Leonard has stayed at the café and is playing cards with George and the guys, I suspect they may be some time"

"Shelley make sure you are ready for midnight mass, you can't get out of it" said Mary walking into the room

"Yes I know mom, it might only be me though, depends on how Amy is feeling"

"That's ok, my deal is with you and not Amy" replied Mary

**Christmas and New Year **passed by quickly with celebrations and fun and one day at the beginning of February, Penny woke up early one morning feeling sick, she and Leonard had been trying for a baby since they had got married and as she realised she had missed her last cycle, she rushed to the bathroom to vomit, Leonard heard her and went to help her, he knew what this might mean

"Penny could you be pregnant?

"I hope so, we have had plenty of practice and my monthly cycle has not happened"

"How late are you? Asked Leonard

"Two weeks I think, I'm not totally sure but I have some pregnancy tests in the bathroom cupboard, which I will take when I feel a little less sick" said Penny as she vomited in to the toilet bowl again

An hour later Penny was feeling slightly better and Leonard had delayed going into work to see the result of the test that Penny was taking, Penny brought the test out and set it on her dressing table, she had to wait for 3 minutes before anything came up, she and Leonard were sitting on the bed holding hands

"I hope we are pregnant Penny and even if we are not then we can keep trying" said Leonard

"I know and I want your babies, all of our friends children will be close in age and that will be wonderful" said Penny

Leonard nodded and they sat in silence until the three minutes was up, Penny then retrieved the test and looked at it

"We are pregnant Leonard!" said Penny hugging him in delight and kissing him

"That's brilliant, all we need to do now is find out just how far along you are, I suspect you are only a month or a bit more"

"Yes I agree, are we going to tell everybody or wait a while?

"I think we can tell people, I will take a half day and we can go to the doctors this morning"

"Ok"

Much later they returned from the doctors, who confirmed that Penny was pregnant and arranged for her to have a sonogram later in the week, the doctor suspected she was around 5-6 weeks but the sonogram would confirm that

Leonard went to work and as it was lunchtime, he went to the cafeteria, only Sheldon was in there though

"Penny and I found out this morning that we are having a baby" said Leonard smiling

"Oh Congratulations, how far along are you" asked Sheldon

"We think no more than 5 or 6 weeks, we will find out later in the week at the sonogram" replied Leonard

Meanwhile Penny had gone next door to see Amy, who had stopped work altogether to tell her the news, they were sitting in the kitchen drinking tea, Amy was delighted at the news

"Oohh just think our babies could turn out to be besties as well" said Amy excitedly

"I think that will be nice and they will have Rose as well" said Penny, she noticed Amy was constantly rubbing her belly and wincing "Are you ok? She asked

"Yes the baby is just moving a lot and there isn't a lot of space in there" said Amy

"Well you haven't got long now, only a month to go, maybe less" said Penny

"I know and yesterday I had some Braxton Hicks contractions, luckily I had been told about them and they stopped after a couple of hours"

"Have you got a birthing plan Amy?

"Yes well the plan is that I have a water birth, but that just depends if one is available at the hospital when I go into labour, if not then I will just go with the flow and hope it's a quick labour"

"I take it Sheldon is going to be there, are you having anybody else?

"Well the midwife said I could have two people with me, would you like to be there with me?

"Amy I would be delighted to" replied Penny

"Thank you, I would get up and hug you but I am stuck for the moment" said Amy

"Well it doesn't matter I can come to you instead" said Penny getting up from the chair and hugging Amy

"I am going for a sonogram on Friday to find out just how far along I am, so depending on that, there will be a baby Hofstadter by August or September" said Penny happily

"Have you thought of any names yet?

"No that's something we should do though, I have to go Amy I promised to go to the store today"

"Ok congratulations again and see you later" smiled Amy to her friend

On Friday, Penny had her sonogram and the doctor confirmed that she was 6 weeks pregnant and her likely due date would be early August, just as Penny had thought, they had another appointment for when they reached 12 weeks

The following weekend they decided to discuss names for the baby

"Leonard I really like Holly for a girl and if it's a boy Archie" said Penny

"I will agree with them names Penny, I would like either of them, also what about godparents?"

"Well Sheldon and Amy are making us godparents to Marie, so I would like to return the favour and also have Natasha"

"Ok by the way, Sheldon asked me if we can have Daisy when Amy goes into labour"

"Sure, but I forgot to tell you that Amy has asked me to be there at the birth, so it will just be you and Daisy"

"Your going to be at the labour? Wont that put you off?

"Leonard of course it wont, I will have to give birth myself and there will be no better experience than actually seeing my best friend do it"

"Have you got a date for your new store opening yet?

"Yes it was going to be for the last week of February but there has been some delays in getting stock so its now the end of March"

_**Two weeks later**_

It was 3am and Amy was wide awake and in pain, she thought she might be starting her contractions but her waters hadn't broken yet, Sheldon was sleeping and she didn't want to disturb him just yet, so after getting out of the bed she went to the family bathroom down the hall and ran herself a soothing bath, she was timing the pains which were coming every 10 minutes, it was while in the bath that she felt her waters go, climbing out and drying herself she went back to the bedroom to wake Sheldon

"Sheldon wake up" said Amy shaking him

"What's the matter? Asked Sheldon then he noticed Amy was doubled up and panting

"I think I'm in labour, can you call Penny, she will drive us to the hospital" said Amy

"But you still have a week to go, you can't be in labour now, she cant be coming just yet" said Sheldon panicking

"My waters have broken so I think I am very much ready to give birth" said Amy

Sheldon rang Penny and after taking Daisy next door to Leonard, helped Amy out to the car and Penny drove them to the hospital where they were shown to a private room, the midwife and doctor appeared shortly afterwards and checked to see how dilated Amy was

"You are 7cm's dilated so it could be here in the next couple of hours, we have gas and air ready for you when you need it" said the midwife

"I might need it right now" said Amy as another contraction hit her, she took several puffs of gas and then grabbed Sheldon's hand, Penny was wiping the sweat from her face with a cold flannel

An hour later Amy was almost ready to give birth, she was following the midwifes instructions to push at the right moment, Sheldon was still holding her hand and Penny was now at the foot of the bed fascinated by seeing the baby crown

"Amy you need to push now" said the midwife

Amy pushed and the baby's head appeared and after more encouragement from the midwife pushed again and baby Marie arrived

"Congratulations your baby is here, would you like to cut the cord? Asked the Midwife to Sheldon who was looking at the baby in shock and surprise, the baby suddenly started crying

"No no its ok" said Sheldon as the midwife quickly cut the cord and handed Marie to Amy who was in tears

"Sheldon she is beautiful, covered in goo but very beautiful" said Amy gazing down at her daughter and back at Sheldon

"Amy she really is, thank you very much" said Sheldon suddenly feeling overwhelmed

The midwife reappeared and took Marie to be washed and weighed, then returned with her and gave her back to Amy

"She weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces, no wonder she couldn't wait to get out" laughed the midwife, she then left the room leaving Amy and Sheldon with baby Marie, Amy passed Sheldon the baby and Sheldon took her gently, he leant down and gave her a little kiss on the head and kissed Amy as well

"I am so proud of you, that looked very painful to do" said Sheldon

"It was very painful but I have forgotten the pain now" said Amy as Penny came back in the room

"Hey Ames, I have told Leonard and he's going to ring everybody else to let them know, including both your families"

"Thank you Penny" said Sheldon "Would you like to meet your goddaughter properly? Asked Sheldon

"Sure" said Penny taking the baby from him

"Just think Penny that will be you in a few months time" said Amy gazing at the baby

The midwife came back in and after checking that Amy was ok, offered tea to them all and said that if Amy was ok then they would let her go home later that afternoon, they were drinking there tea when Sheldon remembered that he needed to speak to his mom, he video called her

"Hi Mom, or should I say hi granny" said Sheldon as Mary appeared on the phone screen

"Shelley, how's Amy and the baby doing?"

"Amy is great as is Marie" said Sheldon turning his phone around and showing his mother the baby

"Oh isn't she just beautiful" said Mary

"Just like Amy" said Sheldon

"Well Missy and I are flying out the day after tomorrow to come and see you both, Meemaw has a cold so she is staying away and George cant get time off work so quickly" said Mary

"Ok I will see you then" said Sheldon

After a few hours rest and a shower, Amy was ready to leave the hospital, Penny was driving them back to the house

Leonard had let everybody into Sheldon and Amy's house and Amy walked in with the baby

"Hello everybody I would like you to meet Marie" said Amy smiling at everybody as they gathered round the baby.

_**Cheers for reading, if I get time before I go away on Wednesday, I will do more**_


	46. Chapter 46

_**Carrying on from previous chapter**_

Amy looked around the living room at the happy faces and saw her mother there as well, Leonard had brought in Chinese food for everybody

"I think my mom should be the first to hold Marie" said Amy walking towards her mother who was in tears at her first grandchild, Marie was still sleeping even after Amy had taken her from the car seat

"Amy she is gorgeous" said Barbara gazing down at her granddaughter

The rest of their friends were gathered round taking pictures of the baby when Leonard took Sheldon into the kitchen to talk. Leonard suggested bringing Daisy back

"I'm not sure, maybe later it's a bit busy in here and I don't want there to be too much going on when we introduce her" said Sheldon

"Ok well when I went to get the Chinese food, Raj took her for a quick walk with Cinnamon, so she won't need another walk today anyway" replied Leonard

"Oh, is Cinnamon here?

"No she's next door as well"

"Thank you for calling everybody to tell them the news Leonard and for organising everything for our return" said Sheldon

"Your welcome, how are you feeling though now the baby is here? Asked Leonard

"Overwhelmed if I am honest and happy, Amy did so well and Penny was great too, I didn't do much other than hold Amy's hand"

"Sheldon that's all you needed to do, Amy would of appreciated that" said Leonard

"Do you think so? Asked Sheldon

"Of course, now stop worrying, you have a beautiful daughter and now you can enjoy having her after waiting all this time for her" said Leonard as Amy walked into the room

"Hey what are you both doing in here? Asked Amy looking to the two of them

"Oh we was just talking about the birth" said Sheldon smiling at Leonard

"Yes, I will leave you both to it" said Leonard

"I was just going to make tea if you want one? Asked Amy

"Yes, thank you" said Leonard

"Amy! You should be resting not doing things for everybody, go and sit down and I will do it" said Sheldon as Leonard left the room

"Sheldon I am more than capable of making tea" said Amy protesting

"I know but I want you to rest and not overdo things, you only gave birth this morning!

"Sheldon you are very sweet and caring" said Amy walking towards him and kissing him, Sheldon cuddled her for a few minutes and then Amy sat down while he made the tea, they went back into the living room where Marie was now being held by Bernadette, her own baby Rose was now 7 months old and laying on the floor on a blanket trying to crawl but not succeeding, Howard was supervising her

By 9pm everybody but Leonard and Penny had left and Sheldon asked him to bring Daisy back, Daisy came into the room, looked at the baby and promptly fell asleep in her basket

"Well that went well" said Amy

"Ok we will go back now and congratulations again" said Penny to Amy and Sheldon

"Thank you for being there Penny" said Amy

"No problems, perhaps you would do the same for me when the time comes" said Penny

"Really? Of course I would love to be there" said Amy hugging her best friend

After they left, Sheldon and Amy crashed out on the sofa, both exhausted after an emotional day, with Marie asleep in the carrycot next to the sofa

"Come on lets go to bed, who knows how long she will sleep for and I will need my rest as you pointed out earlier" said Amy

"Sure" said Sheldon picking up the carrycot and taking it to their room, they had decided to have the baby's cot in their room for the first few nights, they got changed and once they were in bed fell asleep straight away, with Amy only having to get up once in the night to feed Marie

Over the next week, they fell into a routine with Marie, she had a funny little frown on her face whenever she woke up and she always looked surprised to see people. Mary and Missy arrived and Mary made sure she took lots of videos and pictures of Marie, even though she wasn't doing very much at her early age, they stayed for three days before returning back to Texas, Barbara also came by most days and asked Amy how long she would be taking off

"Well I have 6 months full pay maternity leave and then I will go back every day but only from 10 until 4, I will sort out a nanny nearer the time, I just want to enjoy her for now"

"You don't need to find a nanny, I am not doing anything and I would be happy to look after her for you" said Barbara

"Mother I can't ask you to do that" said Amy surprised

"Of course you can, I would be delighted to do so and I now how hard you have worked in your career and having a baby isn't going to stop you and I want to help" said Barbara

"Amy I think it's a very good idea and we would of course pay you and make it official, its better to have your mother do it than some stranger" said Sheldon, Amy could only agree

"I think you have a deal Sheldon" said Barbara

Once Amy was feeling better and recovered from the birth she and Sheldon took the baby to Caltech to show their work colleagues, she kept the baby out of the lab though, there was a study currently on with Alcoholic monkeys and Amy didn't want the monkeys going crazy when they saw her.

Sheldon had originally been given two weeks paternal leave but Siebert had agreed to his request for an extra two weeks holiday, Sheldon loved being at home with his daughter and was helping Amy as much as he could

At the end of March Penny opened her men's clothing store, the first week was as successful as the women's store had been on the first week, she had decided to concentrate on her clothing line for now as well as the pregnancy, she felt that if something special came up in the line of acting she would take it but she was happy with her life right now, Leonard found he had grad students asking him to show them some of his experiments and with approval from President Siebert had organised several small viewings of his work, he found he enjoyed teaching and planned to do it more often.

Penny and Leonard went for their 12 week scan where the doctor confirmed the baby was fine and to come again at 20 weeks for confirmation of what sex the baby was

On Sunday May 24th Sheldon and Amy left Marie who was now just over 8 weeks old with Leonard and Penny and went to the café where they first met to celebrate 5 years together

"Just think Amy, a year and half ago we were getting married and now we have a baby, everything has happened very quickly since then" said Sheldon as a waitress came over and took their order

"I like that though don't you?

"Of course, I am very happy and I still can't believe how much time I spent avoiding everything"

"Sheldon its fine, you had your reasons for it and you are over it now, you even change Marie's smelly nappies without complaint! Said Amy

"Yes that's something I would have avoided in the past but now I love my little family and can't wait to extend it" said Sheldon gazing into Amy's eyes

"Extend it? Asked Amy in surprise

"Yes, we agreed we would have two or three children" said Sheldon

"Yes but I want to wait a while before we try for baby number two, I want to get back to work and enjoy Marie growing"

"How long is a while? Asked Sheldon

"Maybe a year or so, is that ok?

"Yes sure"

"Also once it gets nearer to the time of me going back to work, I think I will leave Marie with mother for a whole day to get her used to childminding, Marie will need to adjust too"

"That's a good plan" said Sheldon as they finished their tea and cakes and walked back to the house

"You know seeing as we have an empty house, there is something else we could do" said Amy as they arrived back home

"Oh yes and what's that? Asked Sheldon knowing where this was going

"Come upstairs and I will show you" said Amy taking his hand and leading him up to their room, Amy disappeared into the en suite and Sheldon took off his clothes and got into bed, Amy was changing into a sexy bra and g-string for Sheldon, she had lost a lot of the baby weight now and was feeling confident about her body.

She left the bathroom and stood in front of Sheldon against the bathroom door, he immediately got back out of the bed and walked towards her, he was already aroused and he pressed Amy against the door and kissed her with passion, he loved her little outfits that she dressed up in for him

"I love you Amy and I will show you just how much" said Sheldon picking her up and carrying her to the bed, they laid down side by side with their legs wrapped round each other and resumed kissing her whilst Amy reached for his erection and began to pump him, Sheldon liked very much when Amy did that and reaching for her breasts, he kissed her erect nipples and pulled her closer to him, using his hands to make Amy come, Amy was moaning lustily in the throes of orgasm and Sheldon was panting heavily from the touch of Amy on his arousal, he needed to be inside her so after putting a condom on, moved on top of her and guided his erection into her, they had made love only once since Marie was born and Amy felt she was now completely ready, Sheldon was thrusting into her and Amy was rocking against him, they continued kissing using tongues to explore whilst making little moaning noises, Amy was whispering into his ear how much she loved him which made Sheldon come with an explosion of noise and shuddering on top her.

"Amy you really are magnificent" said Sheldon still on top of her, Amy was panting and beaming away below him

"Thanks I think I can say the same about you, that was a very happy anniversary!" said Amy

"Happy anniversary back to you" said Sheldon rolling off Amy and cuddling her. " We don't have to pick Marie up until 5pm and its only 3 now, so lets have a little rest time before so" said Sheldon

"Sure" said Amy snuggling into Sheldon, she kissed him again and continued cuddling, some time later Sheldon had fallen asleep so Amy got up and went to the bathroom to shower, when she returned Sheldon had woken and was out of bed, he pulled Amy back into bed with her and kissed her again

"Maybe later tonight we can go again, I still want you though Amy, you cant leave me in this state" said Sheldon showing her his erection, Amy was still naked after her shower and not wanted to leave Sheldon, she moved on top of him and guided herself onto his erection, some time later after they had both orgasmed, there was a knock at the front door

"Shit its 530, no wonder they are knocking, we should of picked Marie up at 5" said Amy quickly throwing on a t-shirt and jogging bottoms and running downstairs and opening the door to find Penny there with Marie

"Hi Ames, I have brought Marie back for you" said Penny knowing just why Marie hadn't been collected at 5, she could see Amy was looking flushed

"Thank you for looking after her, was she ok? Asked Amy standing aside and letting them in

"Yes she had her bottle and also we gave her some water as she still seemed thirsty and she had a little sleep"

"Sheldon and I were going to order Chinese if you would like to join us? Said Amy

"Sure why not and maybe we could have the rest of our friends over to celebrate what's left of your anniversary? Asked Penny

"Actually that's a good plan" said Amy finding her phone and texting everybody to come over.

"Amy I will order the food, go and have a shower and get changed if you like, I will watch Marie" said Penny

"Thank you Penny" said Amy rushing back up the stairs, Sheldon was still in bed. "Sheldon everybody is going to come over tonight to celebrate our anniversary with us, Penny is ordering the food so we can get changed" said Amy

"Who has Marie now?

"Penny has her" replied Amy

"I take it people will be here shortly then?

"Yes I'm going to have a quick shower and change then you can do the same" said Amy walking into the en-suite, Sheldon followed her and locked the door

"You know it would save time if we showered together" said Sheldon, Amy was reaching into the shower to turn it on and Sheldon was pressing up against her, she turned around and kissed him, Sheldon helped Amy to take her clothes off and guided her into the shower

"You really are a horn dog at the moment aren't you Sheldon" said Amy leaning against him

"Well you are a beautiful woman and I want to make the most of your beauty Amy" replied Sheldon, they were washing each other now, with Sheldon gently caressing her breasts while he did so

After they were clean they went back into the bedroom, Amy chose to wear her blue dress and with the gold hemline and Sheldon put on a shirt and trousers, they went back downstairs and found all their friends had arrived and brought champagne with them

"You know if it wasn't for Howard and Raj blackmailing me into meeting you, we would never have met" said Sheldon to Amy once they were settled in the living room with their friends

"Oh I know and I am grateful that they persuaded you to meet me" said Amy

"I am too" said Sheldon

"So it was a good thing then Sheldon" asked Howard

"Yes, I didn't appreciate it at the time but I do now" said Sheldon gazing at Amy who was now bottle feeding Marie, Bernadette was next to her with Rose who was sitting on the floor in front of her patting Daisy on the back who was leaning against Amy's legs, Daisy was turning into a very patient dog, she didn't mind being prodded and was very protective around Amy

"Thank you all for coming though, its nice to spend our anniversary with our friends" said Sheldon suddenly

"Amy do you mind if we take Sheldon to the game room for a while? Asked Leonard

"No go ahead, us girls can have a gossip" said Amy. Marie had now finished her bottle and was sleeping in Amy's arms, so she put her in the carrycot next to the sofa, Daisy immediately moved from her spot and lay down next to the cot

"She's very good with the baby isn't she? Said Natasha

"Yes and considering the start she had in life, she's very trustworthy of people" replied Amy

"Oh Penny by the way you have three new people in today requesting your personal shopper services, they had heard of you via their friends" said Alex

"Did you make appointments for them?

"Yes, one of them is for Friday and the other two are for Saturday, I hope that is ok?"

"That's fine, thank you Alex, how was it today anyway, I forgot to ask?

"Yes it was slow this morning but this afternoon got busy

"You know Penny, have you ever considered a children's range? Asked Amy

"I hadn't no but everything in time you know, I want to see how the men's store goes first before expanding my empire" said Penny doing the quotes for the empire bit

"I thought it was going well? Asked Amy

"It is but it's only been open two months, I just want to make sure" replied Penny

"How's it going with Raj as your business partner?

"Great, I am having to borrow less money from the business account because we are doing so well with the Penny Blossoms and the stores themselves"

"How's Beverley taking the news of you having a baby? Asked Amy again

"Oh she was her usual self, she was happy for us though" said Penny as Rose crawled towards her and demanded to be picked up which Penny did

"Mama" said Rose suddenly causing Bernadette to look at her daughter in surprise

"Oh that's the first time she's said a proper word!" said Bernadette happily as she went to take Rose off Penny, but Rose had other ideas and squirmed away from her

Raj reappeared in the living room and said he had to go out

"Where are you going? Asked Penny

"Kelly just rang and said she was free so I'm going to meet her at my apartment now" said Raj

"Why don't you bring her back here? Asked Amy

"I would but she has been away for a week visiting family in Florida and I kinda missed her you know" said Raj

"Aw that's sweet, well maybe another time, you know she is always welcome Raj" said Amy

"I know and thank you" said Raj as he kissed the two babies goodbye and left

"How long has he been seeing Kelly now? Asked Natasha

"I'm not entirely sure, I think it was just before Leonard and I got married, so its about 8 months something like that, Raj wasn't very clear on that detail" replied Penny

"Maybe he will be the next of us to settle down" said Amy

"Maybe you never know what will happen with Raj" said Penny

At 20 weeks, Penny and Leonard found out the sex of their baby and discovered they would be having a boy and told their friends that night at their house

"In a few months you will all be able to meet baby Archie Hofstadter" announced Penny happily, she had a good size bump now and wasn't having many problems at 20 weeks, she had a little tiredness but knew that was to be expected, she was just looking forward to the final part of the pregnancy and the birth.

_**I hope everybody is still enjoying the story?**_

_**There wont be anymore now until after October 14**__**th**__** and it will give you all a chance to catch up with the story**_


	47. Chapter 47

_**Cheers for reading and waiting for the last 2 weeks,**_

_**This will be last chapter of the story (the road to commitment has been met)**_

_**Beginning of August 2015**_

It was 1pm and Penny had gone into labour at home and Leonard was teaching and had his phone switched off, Amy who was supposed to be her 2nd choice birthing partner was at a two day Neuroscience conference in San Francisco and wasn't due back until later that day, Natasha was at work in the store and the only person available and close enough to help was Sheldon and he was currently panicking whilst watching Penny suffer through excruitiating labour pains

"Penny I can only tell you from the experience of Amy giving birth that you need to calm down a bit and relax, screaming wont help the baby" said Sheldon trying to be reasonable

"Yes thank you Sheldon, can you try Bernadette again?

Sheldon rang Bernadette and finally got an answer, she was coming straight over and had rang Howard at work to go and get Leonard from his class

Bernadette arrived 15 minutes later and took Sheldon's place and left Rose with him whilst he saw to Marie who was awake and waiting to be fed, Sheldon called Amy's mother who had recently moved nearer to her daughter and she came over quickly and took the girls back to Sheldon and Amy's house while Sheldon attempted to help Penny, Bernadette was counting the minutes between contractions which were only 2 minutes apart and an ambulance was on its way, Penny's midwife had just arrived and after checking Penny announced that she would probably have to have a home birth

"But everything is going wrong, Leonard and Amy are not here and I am two weeks early" shouted Penny in between pains

"Penny lets take you upstairs to your bedroom and get you settled there, if you have some old sheets that would be useful as well" said the midwife leading Penny upstairs with Bernadette, Sheldon was left to wait by the front door for Leonard

"Aaaaaargggggggggghhhhhhhh" yelled Penny in response as her body cramped with another contraction

"Ok Penny you need to push now, the head is starting to come through"

Penny pushed and grabbed Bernadette's hand, then as the midwife instructed her to push again Leonard came bursting through the bedroom door just in time to see baby Archie emerging with another ear splitting yell from Penny

"Congratulations Penny, your baby is here" said the midwife checking that Archie was ok and cutting the cord before cleaning him up and passing him to Penny

"Penny I'm so sorry I wasn't here for the start of the labour" said Leonard giving his wife a kiss

"Leonard you got here for the most important bit and that's the main thing" said Penny gazing down at her son who was looking back at her intently "Would you like to hold him? Asked Penny to Leonard

"Of course" said Leonard as Penny passed the baby to him

"You got here quick then" said Penny to Leonard

"Yes, Howard came and got me and drove me straight here, I have no idea what's going on with the class I was teaching" replied Leonard as he kissed his little son

"Ok Penny the ambulance has just arrived and will take you to the hospital for a quick check up and on Archie as well seeing as he was a bit early, he seems fine though" said the midwife coming back into the room

Whilst Penny got herself cleaned up, Leonard took the baby downstairs where there was a crowd of Sheldon, Howard, Bernadette and Amy's mother with the two babies

"Everybody I would like you to meet Archie Hofstadter" said Leonard "Also thank you to you Sheldon and Bernadette for being here when I couldn't be" said Leonard looking emotional

Sheldon just nodded and Bernadette offered to go with them to the hospital which was accepted and Sheldon along with Amy's mother took the babies back to his house, before he did that though he video phoned Amy to let her know the news, he knew she would be finished her speech by now

"Hi Amy, I have some news for you" said Sheldon smirking at Leonard

"Oh yes what's that and how's Marie been?

"Marie has been perfect but there is somebody I would like you to meet" said Sheldon turning the phone round in the direction of Leonard and baby Archie

"Oh my goodness, Penny had the baby? He is adorable, is Penny ok?

"Yes she had an unexpected home birth and I got here just in time to see him being born" replied Leonard

"Who was there to help her? Asked Amy

"Me at first, then luckily Bernadette came and the midwife also and they took over, for which I am glad" replied Sheldon

"Ok well I will be home by 8pm, I can meet him then" said Amy

"Do you want dinner when you get in or shall we get a takeaway" asked Sheldon

"Takeaway will be fine, love you, I have to go and see another speech now"

"See you when you get home then" said Sheldon signing off

When Penny, Leonard, Bernadette and Archie arrived at the hospital they were shown to the maternity ward and Archie was checked over, the doctors declared him to be fine and that he weighed 8 pounds and that he was able to go straight home, luckily Bernie had followed the ambulance by car and had brought the baby seat with her, so they arrived back home within a couple of hours of Archie being born, Natasha had been told of the baby's birth by Sheldon and after leaving the store keys with one of the personal assistants, had left and was at Sheldon and Amy's house waiting to meet her nephew, she had text Leonard and Penny that she was there and they came straight to the house, Howard had gone back to Caltech and informed President Siebert of the situation and was now back at Sheldon and Amy's house along with Amy's mother and Alex who had also just arrived

"Penny my first nephew, let me have a look at him" said Natasha gushing at him "Oh I phoned mum and dad and they will be here in the morning"

"Thanks Nat, I just feel exhausted now and need to sit down" said Penny flopping into an armchair, Leonard took Archie out of the car seat and handed him to Natasha who was sitting on the couch, this led to two things happening, Rose who was now 1 year old and just started to walk, waddled over and sat next to Natasha and investigated the new arrival, Archie was currently making little gurgling noises, this also intrigued Daisy who after a year of babies was fine with children

"By the way Raj arrived home this morning from his holiday in India with Kelly, he said in his email he had news for us, I rang him just now and he's coming over shortly, Amy wont be here until at least 8pm though, she's very excited to meet Archie" said Sheldon

"Yes Raj was being very secretive about his plans for when he was in India, I would have thought he would have told me his best friend at least" said Howard looking put out

"Penny and Leonard you are welcome to stay here for the remainder of the evening, I will order takeaway for us all" said Sheldon

"Thank you Sheldon, I will probably go back next door to clean up though" said Penny

"No need Penny, I did it all for you, the sheets have been washed and are drying on your washing line" replied Barbara

"Barbara you didn't need to do that but thank you" said Penny

"Nonsense, you were there for Amy when she gave birth and I wanted to do something to help"

Just then Marie woke up crying and wouldn't stop for a while, Bernadette noticed that Marie's cheeks were very red and realised she was probably teething

"Sheldon check if she has any teeth coming through, it's not unusual to get some at 6 months old and I can get you some medicine to help ease the pain if you like" said Bernadette

"Could you thanks" replied Sheldon checking Marie's mouth and finding two little teeth side by side at the front of her mouth

"In the mean time, dip her dummy in some iced water and that might help soothe the pain" said Barbara as Bernadette went to the chemist and returned with the baby medicine, it seemed to help

Raj arrived at 8pm along with Kelly, Amy also arrived back at the same time and looked exhausted after her busy two days, after saying a quick hello to everybody and seeing that Marie and Archie were sleeping, she took Sheldon to the kitchen and greeted him with a passionate kiss

"Sheldon I've missed you and I hope I don't have to go on anymore of those" said Amy cuddling her husband

"I missed you too, it's been very busy here today as you have noticed" said Sheldon kissing his wife again

"I would love to do more but we have a house full of guests, we can do that later" said Amy reluctantly letting go of her husband but not before he made sure Amy could see how happy he was to have her back, they both returned to the living room and Raj decided to make his announcement

"My news has been usurped by the arrival of baby Archie but nevertheless it is still good news, as you know I went to India with Kelly for the sole purpose of introducing her to my parents, they have always wanted me to marry a nice Indian girl but after spending time with Kelly, they liked her a lot and to cut a long story short, we got married there" said Raj

The group looked at him astonished but quickly congratulated the happy couple, Kelly looked Radiant and Raj was the happiest they had seen him for a long time

"I thought your parents had threatened to cut you off from the money that gave you if you didn't marry an Indian girl" asked Howard

"Yes but things change and they can see Kelly is not a gold-digger" said Raj putting his arms around Kelly

"Kelly will you still be working as the manager at the Penny Blossom site" asked Penny

"Of course, I love working there and at the store when you are short staffed" replied Kelly

"Ok good, I just thought it might be awkward, Raj is your husband and he might want you to stay at home" said Penny

"Well I did suggest it to her but that's another reason why my parents like her, because she wants to work, anyway can I meet your son now? asked Raj

"Sure, Leonard can you get him for Raj, I am too comfy here in the armchair to get up! Replied Penny

Raj and Amy took turns holding Archie and before long the evening passed quickly and Leonard and Penny returned to their house with baby Archie Hofstadter

_**Two weeks later**_

Amy had returned back to working at Caltech full time, she was working 10am-4pm and her mother was looking after Marie 4 days a week and Sheldon had decided to work from home one day a week to also look after Marie, Amy was enjoying being back at work but she found that she missed her baby and after seeing Archie, Amy found herself feeling broody, she hadn't mentioned anything to Sheldon just yet as she still wanted to ease herself back into working at Caltech for a while before she thought about baby number two but she also realised that she was more than ready if it did happen

Leonard had taken a month off work and was helping Penny with Archie, he was turning out to be a very laid back little boy, he slept most of the nights and Leonard was determined to give him the happy childhood that he never had, Beverley had stopped by for one night and was surprisingly good with him, Penny's parents had stayed for a week getting to know their first grandson and Penny had taken the baby to her store to show her work colleagues, she was truly happy with Leonard and Archie, it may have taken a long road to get where she was but she realised it was truly worth it

_**The end, everybody happy and settled down**_

_**I hope that you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed the story and made comments elsewhere**_

_**There may be more stories in the future**_


	48. Chapter 48

_**A message to all followers of this story**_

_**After thinking about it, there will be a sequel which I will be starting in a few weeks**_


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